Tamale NPP "Confused"

As CPP And NDC Conspire In An Alliance
With the controversy surrounding the creation of 30 new constituencies by the Electoral Commission now settled by the Supreme Court, the political parties are now left to fill the new constituencies, and it not coming easy for them. The new constituencies have in some cases created safer seats for some parties and made some otherwise safe seats unsure seats.

Tamale, the capital of the Northern Region and the commercial capital of Dagbon is one of those plum electoral areas gripped in uncertainty, especially in the NPP camp. The metropolis is now represented by 3 constituencies; these are Tamale North (Choggu-Sanerigu) Tamale Central (Dakpema) Tamale South (Bamvim). Tamale is hot bed arena of chieftaincy politics and the Abudu and Andani intra-ethnic divide is very alive there.

In election 2000 when the Dagbon crisis was not an election factor, the two main constituencies of Kukpegu-Sabongida in the south and Choggu-Tishigu in the north were held by the NPP (Mustapha Ali Idris) and NDC (Abubakari Sumani) respectively. It is now a very different arrangement.

Ina clear Andani inspired political move, the NDC and CPP have clandestinely formed an alliance not to contest against each other in the Dagbon constituencies, but especially in Tamale which is one of the jewels in Ghana?s electoral crowns.

In Tamale-North, the plan is for the CPP not to contest Mr. Abukari Sumani, the incumbent NDC MP for Choggu-Tishigu. Tamale Central has NDC?s Harruna Iddrisu getting the nod from both the CPP and NDC. This is where the NPP?s woes seem to emanate from. Tamale Central is the constituency of incumbent NPP MP Alhaji Mustapha Ali Idris. NDC candidate, Harruna Iddrisu, a former student of Alhaji Mustapha?s has vowed to wrest the seat from his former tutor. For whatever gripe he has against the NPP MP, young Harruna Iddrisu has threatened to chase Alhaji Mustapha Ali Idris to any constituency stands. The joke in Tamale is that ?even if Mustapha climbs a tree, I will follow him.