Filing of parliamentary nominations - Clashes at Wa EC office
Supporters of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP) clashed in Wa on Thursday as the parliamentary candidates of the two parties went to file their nomination forms for the December 7 polls writes Michael Quaye, Wa.
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The police, who were present, intervened as a brief brawl that lasted less than three minutes, caused anxiety among onlookers on the forecourt of the municipal office of the electoral commission.
The two candidates — incumbent Hon. Rashid Pelpuo of the NDC and Issahaku Moomin of the NPP — had come to the EC’s office at almost the same time (after 4 p.m.) to file their nomination forms.
The EC Officer in charge of Wa Municipality, Mr Jackson Annoh, consequently asked the NPP candidate to hold on, while his office processed the forms of the NDC candidate.
But there were protests from the NPP team who said they had come earlier at 11 a.m. but were asked to go back and complete some portions of the form and, therefore, should be catered for before the NDC candidate had his turn.
The EC managed to get the understanding of both parties, and the NPP forms were processed although the NDC candidate’s forms were also officially received.
Before the two, the Progressive People’s Party’s James Sohimwininye, had filed his nomination forms in what is expected to be a hot contest in the Wa Central Constituency.
Eastern Region
From Akwatia, Samuel Kyei-Boateng reports that one of the toughest parliamentary battles in the December 7, 2016 general election will take place in the Akwatia Constituency in the Eastern Region between the incumbent Member of Parliament (MP) for the area, Mr Mohammed Ahmed Baba Jamal and his challenger, Madam Ama Sey, a professional hairdresser.
Both parliamentary candidates are confident of winning the election after filing their nominations forms, considering the massive support they enjoy in the area.
Both Mr Jamal, who is the NDC Parliamentary Candidate, and Madam Ama Sey, the candidate for the NPP, were born and bred at Akwatia and had spent much of their life in the diamond town.
Campaign launch
Launching his campaign at Akwatia recently, Mr Jamal stressed that his victory in the election was a forgone conclusion since the electorate would not vote for Madam Ama Sey, who, according to him,is a common hairdresser, who would not make any impact in Parliament.
The Eastern Regional Chairman of the NDC, Mr Bismarck Tawiah Boateng, enjoined the electorate to vote massively for Mr Jamal in order to continue benefiting from more development projects.
Launching her campaign earlier at Akwatia, Madam Sey expressed optimism of unseating Mr Jamal come December 7, 2016.
She said Mr Jamal had disappointed the constituents because he had failed to fulfil his campaign promise of rehabilitating the deplorable Akwatia town roads.
According to her, most of Mr Jamal stalwarts, who campaigned for his electoral victory in 2012, had parted company with him, accusing him of being incompetent thus he had very unpopular in the area.
Northern Region
Samuel Duodu reports from Tamale that in the Northern Region, three ministers of state filed their nominations to contest on the ticket of the NDC for the presidential and parliamentary elections.
They are the Minister of Employment and Labour Relations, Mr Haruna Iddrisu, the incumbent MP for Tamale South, the Northern Regional Minister, Mr Abdallah Abubakari, who is the NDC parliamentary candidate for the Walewale Constituency and Alhaji A.B.A. Fuseini, the Deputy Northern Regional Minister and the incumbent MP for Sagnarigu.
Mr Iddrisu, who is affectionately called Lawyer Haruna by his constituents, filed his nominations on a low key devoid of the funfair that often characterises such events and also at the blind side of the media.
The Northern Regional Minister, Mr Abubakari and his deputy, Alhaji Fuseini, also filed their nomination at the Walewale and Sagnarigu district offices of the EC, respectively.
Some enthusiastic supporters of the NDC in the Tolon Constituency could not hide their excitement as they followed their parliamentary candidate for the constituency, Alhaji Umarn Abdul Razaq, to the district EC office to file his nominations.
The NPP incumbent MP for Tolon, Alhaji Wahab Wumbei Suhuyini, also filed his nominations earlier in the day also at the Tolon EC office without any fanfare and also at the blind side of the media.
The only Independent sitting MP in the Northern Region, Mr Alhassan Dahamani, the incumbent MP for Tamale North, and Abdallah Muazu, the Convention People’s Party (CPP) parliamentary candidate for Tamale North also filed their nominations at the district office of EC.
The others are the NPP parliamentary candidate for Sagnarigu, Mr Habib Iddrisu.
Brong Ahafo Region
Three out of the nine people who collected nomination forms to contest the Sunyani East Parliamentary Seat in the forthcoming general elections, yesterday submitted their nominations to the Electoral Commission, reports Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah from Sunyani.
They are the incumbent NPP MP for Sunyani East, Kwasi Ameyaw-Cheremeh, the Sunyani Municipal Chief Executive, Mr Kwasi Oppong-Ababio, who is standing on the ticket of the NDC and an independent candidate, Ambassador George Kumi.
Mr Ameyaw-Cheremeh, who was the first to submit his nomination form did so at exactly 9.35 a.m. amid drumming and dancing by his supporters who accompanied him to the Sunyani Municipal Office of the commission.
He was followed by the independent candidate, Ambassador Kumi at 10.25 a.m. who filed his nomination quietly.
At 11.30 a.m., Mr Oppong-Ababio set the Municipal EC office agog when he stormed the place with his supporters amid drumming, singing and dancing.
The Sunyani East Returning Officer, Mr Yaw Badu Amanianpong, explained that the commission collected the nomination forms without the filing fee as a result of the injunction filed by the PPP.
Yet to file
The other six prospective candidates, who are yet to submit their nominations forms, are Mr Titus Ashong of the CPP; Mr Sampson Alanyina Sampana of the PNC; Mrs Vivian Kakie Tetteh of the PPP; Mr Barbies Ghandi Issah of the APC; Nana Amanfo Antwi of the DPP and Mr Anthony Amissah of the NDP.
Mr Amaniampong described the exercise so far as successful stating that they had not recorded any negative incident.
Reports from Kukuom in the Asunafo South Constituency indicate that two people out of the six who collected the nomination forms to contest the seat have so far submitted their nomination forms.
They are Mr Eric Opoku, the incumbent NDC MP and Brong Ahafo Regional Minister and the NPP candidate, Mr George Yaw Boakye.
Other candidates from PPP, CPP, GCPP and PNC are yet to submit their nomination forms.
Transfer of votes
Meanwhile, scores of people continue to besiege the Sunyani District office of the EC on daily basis to transfer their votes.
According to Mr Amanianpong, more than 1,000 people have so far transferred their votes from other areas to the constituency during the exercise, which started on September 9, 2016 and is expected to end on October 7, 2016.
Western Region
Akwasi Ampratwum-Mensah reports from Takoradi that some of the parliamentary candidates of the various political parties in the Sekondi-Takoradi Sub-Metro of the Electoral Commission (EC) in the Western Region have submitted their nomination forms to the commission for perusal before they are finally accepted or otherwise.
Three constituencies forming the EC sub-metro are Takoradi, Effia and Kwesimintsim, whose representatives can also file the nomination forms on behalf of their candidates.
When the Daily Graphic visited the Takoradi office of the EC, the incumbent Member of Parliament (MP) for Effia, Mr Joseph Cudjoe, was there to submit his documents to the EC for scrutiny.
According to the Director of the EC for the area, Mr Kwabena Asante, a number of the candidates of the various parties had already submitted their forms hence, the EC officials were going through them thoroughly before they would be accepted.
He told the Daily Graphic that because of the two-day exercise of dealing with the submission of nomination forms by the people’s representatives, the EC had temporarily suspended the transfer of votes by prospective voters in the sub-metro and that they would resume same on Monday until October 6, 2016.
Mr Asante said the EC was, however, not accepting filing fees, either by cash, banker’s draft or cheques owing to the pending suit filed by the Progressive People’s Party (PPP) until the final determination.
