NDC Holds Primaries For Talensi By-Election

The ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) on Sunday held primaries at Winkogo in the Talensi district of the Upper East Region to elect a to contest the Talensi by-election slated for July 07, 2015.

Five people contested the NDC ticket:

They are Mr. B.T. Baba,67, a retired Deputy Director General of the Ghana Prisons Services; Mr. Edward Awunnore, 40,the Talensi District Chief Executive; Mr.Charles Boazor, 38, a public servant; Mr. Rockson Aditiba, 31, a business man; and King James Atore, 52, banker.

Six hundred and ninety-seven NDC delegates voted for the candidates from 22 electoral areas.

Voting was supervised by the Electoral Commission (EC) and was held in a peaceful atmosphere.

Political Stalwarts in the region that attended the NDC primaries included the Upper East Regional Minister, Mr.James Tiigah; his Deputy, Mr.Daniel Syme; Upper West Regional Minister, Mr.Bede Ziedeng; the Deputy NDC National Organizer, Mr.Joshua Akamba; some DCEs as well as NDC regional and constituency executives.

Greed

Addressing the NDC delegates, Mr. Akamba observed that the NDC was formed based on certain principles that allowed everybody no matter his or her political inclination to join the party.

He observed that "greed" made the party to lose the seat to the NPP saying the Talensi seat belonged to the NDC.

Mr. Tiigah for his part observed that the NDC was a broad party that should be able to win a lot of electorates to its fold, stressing that "we are taking the Talensi seat no matter what the other parties do".

He advised losers not to despair but support the wining candidate to win both the presidential and parliamentary elections in 2016.

Mr. Ziedeng who is also the Deputy National Director of Elections of the NDC stated that all the candidates have been made to sign an undertaking to ensure that they did not abandon the party and stood as independent candidates in future elections just because they lost the primaries.


Background
With barely three weeks to hold the Talensi By-election, political parties in the region are feverishly preparing to select new candidates that are marketable and have mass appeal.

Last week, the Electoral Commission set July 07, 2015 for the by-election in Talensi following a declaration by the Speaker of Parliament, Mr. Edward Doe Adjaho that the seat was vacant.

The by-election has become necessary following the enskinment of the Member of Parliament for Talensi, Mr. Robert Nachinab Doameng Masore as the Paramount chief of the Tongo traditional area and his subsequent resignation from parliament.