The Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) in the northern region have been sworn into office by His Worship Amadu Issifu, the Presiding Judge of the Tamale Magistrate Court.

The MMDCEs swore the oath of office and oath of secrecy at a short ceremony in Tamale today Wednesday, October 6, 2021.

The Northern Regional Minister at the event urged the MMDCEs to diligently carry themselves in manners that befit of their status, explaining that, “Today’s exercise is a very simple exercise but of course that is the most difficult part of the process; it is the most difficult part of the exercise because we’re here to give up our liberties, the liberties of free speech, free behavior. We are delving into a very delicate and a very difficult realm where you have to give up your independence.”

He added, “Initially, you could just pick your phone and speak anyhow, you could just behave in a certain way, you could dress anyhow; I am telling you that today all those liberties are going to be curtailed.”

“The way you dress, the way you speak, the way you interact with people and the way you behave must all change today. It must change because people would now start seeing you or see the President in you in your various localities, and of course, you do not have to speak courteously only when we’re at ceremonies but we should be doing same at our various offices and even in our various official residences” the Minister emphasized.   

He noted the oaths administered are legal and binding on them (MMDCEs) and further warned any appointee who goes against the oaths can be charged with perjury.

“Let me also hasten to tell you that it is the right of the President to appoint and to disappoint you – that is why we had to go through all these rigorous exercise of selecting somebody to represent the President at the MMDAs” Mr. Shani Alhassan stated.