A dispute over emergency repair works at the Nsawam Presbyterian School has triggered political tensions in the Nsawam-Adoagyiri Municipality of the Eastern Region, after supporters of the area’s Member of Parliament and the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) clashed at the project site.
The controversy follows a rainstorm on Thursday evening that ripped off parts of the school’s roofing, exposing classrooms and raising concerns about the safety of pupils and teachers.
The damage prompted calls for urgent intervention to prevent further deterioration, especially amid forecasts of further rainfall.
The Member of Parliament for Nsawam-Adoagyiri, Frank Annoh-Dompreh, who is currently out of town, directed former Municipal Chief Executives and party executives to assess the situation and facilitate emergency repair works.
Following the directive, contractors linked to the MP’s office were mobilised to begin rehabilitation works on the affected structures.
However, tensions erupted on Saturday morning when the Municipal Chief Executive, Fummey Selorm Philibert, arrived at the site and opposed the intervention, instructing education authorities not to allow the MP’s contractors to continue.
The MCE’s attempt to halt the works led to a heated confrontation between supporters of both political sides. Eyewitnesses reported confusion at the scene, with exchanges of words and allegations of physical altercations during the standoff.
The situation escalated, prompting officers from the Ghana Police Service to intervene and restore calm at the school premises.
The disagreement centred on who has the authority to supervise and execute the rehabilitation works. While one side argued that the MP’s intervention was necessary due to the emergency nature of the damage, the other insisted that the Municipal Assembly must oversee all official works on public infrastructure within its jurisdiction.
As of the latest reports, contractors linked to both the MP’s camp and the Municipal Assembly were working simultaneously on different sections of the damaged structure, creating an unusual overlap of repair activities at the same site.
