Delegates in Sissala East NPP primary divided

Delegates of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the Sissala East constituency say they are ready to vote for their preferred candidate in the constituency in the upcoming parliamentary primaries.

Amidu Chinnia Issahaku, the incumbent Member of Parliament (MP) and Dr Jebuntie Joshua Zaato are contesting the Primary in the constituency.

The NPP had scheduled Saturday, January 27 for the Parliamentary primaries for constituencies with sitting MPs across the country.

The delegates in the Sissala East Constituency had given reasons why their preferred candidates should be voted for to represent the party in the constituency in the 2024 general election.

Wutirira Sumaila, a delegate, told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in an interview in Tumu that he was supporting the current MP with 36 other delegates in the Sakai electoral area because they believed the MP had performed well within the past three years.

He called on other delegates in the constituency to support Amidu Chinnia Issahaku to be retained as the NPP parliamentary candidate for the constituency.

He argued that the MP was the only person who had done enough for the constituency to merit a second term.

He said the MP had lobbied for more landmark projects for the area, created employment for the youth, and had been visiting the constituency regularly than his predecessors did in the past.

Sumaila added that: “The MP has extended resources in supporting others to be trained in the legal profession, and medicine with the hope that such persons will come back to support the constituency.”

Iddrisu Nibisi, also a delegate supporting Mr Issahaku who was also the Deputy Minister for Sanitation and Water Resources, said the MP was facilitating the construction of an astroturf, a new Tumu town water system and had helped over 80 persons to be recruited into the security services.

“He has drilled close to 39 boreholes in the constituency to make water accessible to many communities,” Nibisi added.

Bio Abubakar, another delegate said the current MP was a simple person who was the best to lead the constituency to bring unity and development across the constituency.

Jawol Suraj a delegate who was supporting Dr Jebuntie Zaato said: “Given the development that is expected in the area Dr Jebuntie Zaato should be voted as he is one person that has

International experience, which can help bring the expected development that the area expects, the area should have seen much more developments than we have witnessed.”

He urged the delegates to vote to change and bring a fresh person who could easily maintain the seat for the Sissala East.

Ibrahim Wubonto, a delegate from Nyimanjang, a suburb of Tumu told the GNA that: “Most of the people we have voted for mostly go there to enrich themselves first before thinking of the followers let alone the constituency, so, I call on the delegates to vote for Dr Jebuntie Zaato.”

Meanwhile, Mr Issahaku told the GNA that he would win the primaries while Dr Jebuntie also said his chances were bright and he would win the primaries.

Speaking to Robert Asumani, the Sissala East Constituency Secretary of the NPP, he said there were 529 delegates in the constituency and “so far things are on course.”

Meanwhile, Osman Ali, the Upper West Regional Director of the Electoral Commission, told the GNA that all was set for the primaries in the region.

He said the election materials had been sent to the Sissala East Constituency where voting would be conducted in the upcoming NPP primaries in the region.

The Nandom and Lambussie Constituencies would hold acclamation for Ambrose Dery, incumbent MP for the Nandom Constituency, and Dr. Bright Baligi, the incumbent MP for the Lambussie Constituency since they were going into the election unopposed.