AS POTENTIAL parliamentary candidates of the three constituencies within the Tamale metropolis are seriously campaigning to outdo each other in the National Democratic Congress (NDC) January 21 parliamentary primaries, the electorate are also bracing themselves for a possible showdown.
It would therefore not be a surprise if winners are thrown out of certain communities in their respective constituencies following reneged promises made by successive parliamentary candidates.
One of such communities is Sognaa Yiili in the Tamale North constituency, a stronghold of the NDC where residents have cautioned politicians, particularly parliamentary aspirants, to stay clear of the area.
They have threatened to abort the 2012 general elections and the impending biometric registration exercise, citing neglect and disappointment since the inception of the fourth republic in 1992, as their reasons.
According to them, the area was bedevilled with poor inaccessible roads, lack of electricity and the unavailability of public toilet facilities yet politicians kept tramping on these areas to solicit votes from them over the years.
To prove they meant their threats, residents, through cash donations, erected a billboard and hoisted a huge banner at the entrance and exit points of the community with the inscription “Attention, Attention, Attention. Notice to our politicians. There are no improvements in Sognaa Yiili since 1992. No electricity, No good roads, no public toilets why? Without this we will not vote”.
Section of residents who spoke to DAILY GUIDE claimed the area, despite its development potential, remained untapped.
They particularly accused the incumbent NDC Member of Parliament (MP) Alhaji Abukari Sumani of failing to fulfil promises he made to them while soliciting for their votes in previous elections.
The Mayor of the Tamale Metropolis, Alhaji Abdulai Haruna Friday, was also lashed at for failing to embark on a single project in the area despite the fact that Sognaa Yiili formed part of the Tamale metropolis. They however promised to be part of the 2012 elections on condition that their request was granted 10 clear months before election, else they were prepared to chase out Electoral Commission (EC) officials who were assigned to supervise voting or registration in the area.
But Mohammed Abdul-Salam, a leading contender for the NDC parliamentary slot in the Tamale North Constituency, has assured the people of the area of hope.
The troubles, he stated, would come to an end should he be mandated to lead the party in the 2012 elections and subsequently emerge their MP.
He told Daily Guide the residents had genuine concerns but it required a development-oriented person like him to have them addressed, appealing to the people to exercise restraint and only rally behind him for the desired results.
Mr. Salam observed that the inefficiency of the incumbent MP had made residents of Sognaa Yiili angry. He promised to also channel their concerns, through the appropriate quarters, in order to have them solved.
According to him, the NDC could not afford to lose the 2012 elections, which he described as one of the crucial elections in the democratic history of the country. “It is only when we work together that we can make an improvement in our present state,” he assured.
