Wa, June 20, GNA – Voting has been smooth and peaceful across all four constituencies participating in the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) Parliamentary Primaries in the Upper West Region.
A total of 1,862 delegates are casting their ballots to elect their parliamentary candidates for the coming December general election.
The Lawra Constituency has 457 delegates; Sissala West, 384 delegates; Sissala East, 449 delegates; and Wa East, 572 delegates.
Mr Ambrose Dery, Member of Parliament (MP) for the Nandom Constituency and the Minister for the Interior is the only incumbent MP going unopposed in the Region.
Three people – Dr Yakubu Adama Sorikuon, Mr Baduon Nasirudeen and Mr Yakubu Salifu, are battling it out with the incumbent MP, Mr Godfrey Bayon Tangu for the Wa East parliamentary ticket.
For the Sissala East, Mr Amidu Chinnia Issahaku, the Deputy Upper West Regional Minister is seeking to unseat the incumbent MP, Mr Ridwan Abass.
Mr Patrick Alhassan Adama, the incumbent MP for Sissala West Constituency is being challenged by two others; Mr Salifu Baluwie Naliwie, a former District Chief Executive for Sissala West and Mr Luri Tia John Bosco, the Regional Youth Organiser of the party.
Mr Anthony Abaifaa Karbo, incumbent MP for the Lawra Constituency and Deputy Minister of Roads and Highways is also being challenged by Mr Bilson Dontaah.
Voting would end at 1300 hours, for counting to take place and subsequent declaration of results.
Voting started exactly 0700 hours in Tumu in the Sissala East Constituency, where delegates deciding between the incumbent Ridwan Abass and the Deputy Upper West Regional Minister, who gets the parliamentary ticket.
As at 0715 hours, five delegates had voted out of 11 at the Stadium Residential Area.
At the Zongo Extension, six out of 16 had cast their ballots, 30 minutes into the exercise. At Nanyua polling station as at 0740 all 11 had voted.
When the GNA visited the Tumu Community Centre as at 0745, seven out of the 11 delegates had voted.
At Kusinjan, as at 0800 hours, 12 out of 20 delegates were done with their voting, while at the constituency party office as at 0845 hours, 17 out of the 27, had voted.
The election officials and delegates were seen observing the covid-19 protocols.
Mr. Charles Oteng-Bonsra the Municipal Electoral Officer, said there had not been any incident and that the exercise had ended at some of the centres before 1000 hours.
GNA