Women sweep Unit Committee elections in Wedokum in Dodowa

By Patrick Ofoe Nudzi,

Accra, Dec. 20, GNA – Wedokum Electoral Area, the largest electoral area in the Shai-Osudoku District has recorded women majority in the Unit Committee elections during the just ended District Level Elections (DLE).

Four of the five elected members of the Committee were women as Rose Adjatey polled the highest votes of 946, Shuaibu Siddiqah polled the second highest votes of 744, Lartey Nancy Akor, secured the third highest votes 692 votes whilst Carboo Irene, secured the fourth place with 677 votes.

Some electorates, including women were happy to see their fellow women win, describing it as unprecedented. The other candidate Tetteh Emmanuel Nuertey, the only male who also had 657 votes.

The total number of Unit Committee candidates for the Wedokum Electoral Area was 13, of which 6 candidates were women.

Total valid votes were 1, 946; total rejected ballots were 37 and total votes cast were 1, 983. The voter population for the electoral area is 8, 270 with 19 polling stations and 22 communities.

Madam Rose Adjatey told the Ghana News Agency that her performance was a testament to the fact that women could be willing and able, adding that all she wanted to achieve was to bring development to the grassroots.

The race for the Assembly Member position was however an all-male affair. Mr William Osabutey, a former Unit Committee member, beat the incumbent, Mr Jacob Quaye in a keenly contested show.

Mr Osabutey polled 731 votes whilst. Mr Kwabena Nartey, a former Unit Committee member garnered 469 votes and Hassan Iddrisu, a former Unit Committee Aspirant polled 528 votes. Mr Quaye, the incumbent polled 237 votes.

Mr Osabutey, told the Ghana News Agency that most of the young people had dropped out of school, especially the males for “okada” business.

He said he was collaborating with some organisations and wealthy people in the community to create an educational scheme for basic school children.

“On sanitation, I have done a lot of communal work to keep our environment clean. As Assembly Member, I will promote it more because there will be budgetary allocation for it at the

Assembly. I will also constitute watchdog committees to work with the Police to ensure security,” he said.

In other Electoral Areas within the Shai-Osudoku District like the Luom Electoral Area, Mr Donkor Kwaku Solomon contested unopposed for the Assembly Member position.

Candidates who contested for the Assembly Member and Unit Committee member positions in the Natriku Electoral Area in the Osudoku enclave were also elected unopposed.

Madam Mavis Emefa Gyimah, District Electoral Officer, Shai-Osudoku District, said, the six candidates were not challenged on the day of the elections because some other candidates withdrew from the contest earlier.

She said no nominations were further filed even after the announcement of open of nominations in the electoral area, adding that the occurrence automatically gave the candidates the slots.

Shai-Osudoku District has 22 electoral areas with a voter population of 54, 842.

GNA