NDC primaries underway: Missing names, late election materials feature
The National Democratic Congress' national primaries to elect parliamentary candidates and acclaim the candidature of President John Dramani Mahama for the 2016 general elections is underway.
Advertisement
Voting officially started at 7am and will close at 3pm across the country.
A few constituency polls have been deferred as a result of court injunctions, including Bunkpurugu, Akwatia.
In the Ningo-Prampram constituency, Benjamin Glover reports that representatives of ET Mensah and Sam Dzata George have been locked in a meeting with electoral and security officers following protests raised by Sam George over an alleged deletion of the names of over 3,000 registered voters from the roll.
The meeting is being held at District Police Headquarters. The situation stalled the NDC election process in the constituency.
A voter going through the process at the Wesley International School at Adweso SSNIT Flats, Koforidua
The Director of Election of the NDC in the constituency, Mr Noble Amenyawu in an interview said prior to the dispatch of electoral materials to the various polling stations, Mr George raised a protest with regard to the voters register.
Both sides were to await the arrival of the party’s Greater Accra Regional a Director of Election, Mr Isaac D. Vanderpuije in the constituency to give directives on the next steps.
Outside the police station, security personnel, including the police and military in riot control gears have stationed themselves to deal with any eventualities.
Voters eager to vote also converged at the police station waiting to hear something from their leaders.
From Koforidua in the Eastern region, George Folley reports that voting started slowly in the Koforidua municipality as voters trickled in at a number of centres visited, while Naa Lamiley Bentil also reporting from Koforidua, said the exercise held at the Kwaku Otchere Depot polling station at the SIC Yard was slow. The Presiding Officer, Ms Mavis Ofori said only 13 people had cast their ballot at about 10:00 a.m.
From Bolgatanga, Vincent Amenuveve reports that voting began in earnest at the Presbyterian Primary 1&2 and Wortaniya Primary A&B polling stations at 7:00am in the ongoing NDC primaries in the Bolga Central constituency of the Upper East Region.
As of 8:06am 35 people had cast their votes. 500 eligible voters are expected to cast their ballots in those polling stations. According to the presiding officer in charge of the polling stations, Mr Aziz Sadat there had not been any challenges.
In all there are 438 voting centres in the region, with over 154,000 eligible voters. 45 aspirants including three females are contesting while 12 sitting mps are seeking re-election and 12 MMDCES are also contesting.
From the Madina in the La Nkwatanang Madina constituency, Bigjel Jalil reports that as at 8:02, six people had cast their ballot out of 1,850 total voters on the register at the Islamic poling station. There were about 60 people in a queue waiting to cast their votes.
According to Bigjel Jalil, there was no security presence at the Madina Gospel Polling Station as at 8:45am, a situation that led to some tension at that Station. The incumbent, Amadu Sorogo, resides in the area. The presiding officer, Mr Joseph Agblevor called for security.
Ningo Prampram polls called off
Elections in the Ningo Prampram constituency of the Greater Accra region where E.T. Mensah and youngster, Sam George are contesting the National Democratic Congress parliamentary primary has been called off, Benjamin Glover reports.
This is in view of the security situation surrounding the process following a protest raised by one of the aspirants, Sam George, who is alleging that some 3,000 names, mainly of his supporters, have been deleted from the register.
The Constituency Director of Elections, Noble Amenyawu told Graphic Online that the process has been put on hold following consultation with the Regional Police Commander and other security heads.
The NDC officials in charge of the elections have all driven off without speaking to the media.
Advertisement
{youtube}aVP32UAiHR4{/youtube}
Voting has been progressing orderly and peacefully in the Okaikoi North Constituency in the greater Accra Region, reports Victor Kwawukume.
So far there has not been any untoward incident.
However, it was observed that a good number of people who thronged some polling stations within the constituency were ill-informed as they thought it was a general elections.
At the Mankraso electoral area in the Ashanti region, Kwadwo Donkor reported that as at 2:30pm, 182 out of 600 voters had cast their ballots.
Voting progressed smoothly with lots of people in the queue waiting for their turn to cast their vote.
Advertisement
John K. Osei, the presiding officer told the Graphic Online that due to late arrival of electoral materials, voting started after 9am.
He was hopeful however that by 5pm, most of the electorates would have cast their ballot.
Three candidates have offered themselves to be voted for to represent the constituency. They are Nana Ebenezer Antwi, Al hassan Nuhu Dicko and Joseph Donkor.
Vincent Amenuveve reports that the New Patriotic Party communications director in the Bolga Central constituency of the Upper East region, Mr Elvis Figo Awonekai is contemplating taking legal action against the Bolga Central NDC for not deleting his name from the voters register in one of the polling centres in the Tanzui-Zorbisi electoral.
It is unclear how he got his name in the register but he says he has written to the NDC to get his name out of the register.
Advertisement
Despite the low turnout in the Ayawaso West Wuogon constituency, some members including ward executives were unable to vote because they could not find their names in the register.
However, this situation did not result in any violence.
According to the constituency chairman, Ibrahim Jaja, this could be attributed to the fact that there was no parliamentary primaries.
Delali Kwesi Brempong is standing unopposed.
As at 2:30pm, 57 out of 341 registered voters had cast their ballot at the Emmanuel Eye Clinic polling centre while at the Bawaleshie and Christian Centre polling centres, 53 out of 452 and 41 out 437 registered voters had voted respectively.
Samuel Duodu & Zadok Kwame Gyesi report from Tamale that the police in Bole successfully restored calm at the Mankuma polling station in the Bole Bamboi Constituencyafter two military officers were alleged to have intimidated voters there.
Speaking to Graphic Online, the Bole District Police Commander, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), Mr. Eric Awiadem said the two military officers were siblings of one of the contestants in the primaries, Professor Ahmed Nuhu Zakaria, the Director of the Ambulance Service, and were only there to observe the primaries.
He said they (military officers) were on leave and had come to the polling station to witness how the process was going but their presence at the station did not go down well with sympathizers of the other candidate, Alhahi Yusif Sulemana.
ASP Awiadem added that the two military officers who were in mufti were escorted to Bole by the police to defuse the tension their presence was creating in the area.
He, however, denied claims that they were intimidating voters at the polling station.
"It is not true that they were harassing people at the polling station", he stated, adding "they were only there to observe the primaries".
The Bole Bamboi Constituency is being contested by Professor Ahmed Nuhu Zakaria and Alhaji Yusif Sulemana.
Voting
Meanwhile, voting went smoothly in most parts of the Tamale Central Constituency.
As of 2:20pm, 408 out of the total 570 expected electorates had cast their ballots at the Gumbihini Electricity Polling station in the constituency.
More than 469 out of the 600 total voters at the Teshegu Mosque polling station have also voted as of 2:50pm.
From Bongo in the Upper East Region, Alhandu Abdul-Hamid reports that voting at took off with a massive turnout at most polling stations including the aged and the physically challenged.
Delegates started queuing as early as 6am and voting started at 7 am.
As at 8am, 41 delegates had voted at the Old Mission polling station at Bongo out of 566 registered voters whilst the Salibga Junior High School recorded 85 votes as at 8.21am out of a total of 437 registered voters.
The presiding officers of both polling stations, Madam Rose Nana Mensah and Madam Faustina Achaana said they had not encountered any challenges so far.