Chairs and blows fly as election of Presiding Member for Yendi Municipal Assembly turns into brawl

Chairs and punches flew as violence became the resort for assembly members of the Yendi Municipal Assembly following a standoff over the election of a Presiding Member (PM).

The meeting, which was convened to elect a PM after failure in five previous meetings, turned chaotic during the recount of votes.

A video by the state-owned Daily Graphic captures some assembly members lifting chairs and attempting to throw them at their opponents.

The melee that rocked the electoral process resulted in the vandalization of electoral materials to be used for the election of the PM.

The report by Daily Graphic adds that but for the intervention of some police officers, the situation could have turned into a complete bloodbath as neither side showed signs of backing away from the fight.

The election of a PM for the assembly has become a highly contentious one as the members have failed to elect someone after five attempts.

Per the reports, the two candidates, Yakubu Fuseini and Alhassan Inusah Achiri, failed to obtain the required two-thirds of the total votes cast of 44.

Yakubu Fuseini garnered 22 votes while Inusah Achiri managed 21 votes, with one of the ballots being rejected.

The situation was condemned by the Municipal Coordinating Director, Mohammed Akalifa, who stated that the failure to elect a PM was impeding the smooth administration of the assembly.

Yendi: Assembly Members in a brawl over election of PM#dailygraphic #GraphicOnline pic.twitter.com/hoJc1296EF

— DailyGraphic GraphicOnline (@Graphicgh) July 24, 2024