Dr. Abdul-Karibu Tia Mahama (L), and Lariba Zuwera Abudu (R)
There is growing disquiet in the home constituency of Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, the Walewale Constituency, over a ruling on the disputed parliamentary primaries of the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
The Tamale High Court threw out an application by the NPP against the current Member of Parliament (MP), Lariba Zuwera Abudu, for failing to exhaust party structures before heading to court.
According to MyNewsGh.com’s reporters, the court awarded GHC8,000 against the NPP and Dr. Abdul-Karibu Tia Mahama, who was elected the parliamentary candidate of the constituency.
The situation is said to have sparked tension in the constituency, with the council of elders and patrons in the constituency set to hold emergency meetings.
Snippets, according to incontrovertible sources available on this portal, are to ensure that the former gender minister is prevailed upon to drop the case and allow for the party to unite ahead of the 2024 polls.
It is also to forestall an impending demonstration against the former MP by some youth groups who are of the view that she is dragging the reputation of the constituency and the party’s flagbearer in the mud.
“We cannot sit unconcerned and allow these things to fester. When she defeated Dr. Sagre Bambangi in a similar contest, there was no such acrimony, but why is her case different?" a member of one of the youth groups, Salifu Tinyaya, asked.
Background:
Hajia Lariba Zuwera Abudu took legal action in January this year against her contender, Dr. Abdul-Karibu Tia Mahama, after experiencing a supposed defeat in the party’s parliamentary primaries.
The contentious primary came to a close on January 27, 2024, with Dr. Mahama, a technical advisor to the Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, being declared the victor.
Dr. Mahama, a presidential staffer, won with 343 votes. Meanwhile, Lariba Zuwera Abudu, who also serves as the Gender, Children, and Social Protection Minister, fell short with 334 votes.
Expressing dissatisfaction with the outcome, Lariba Zuwera Abudu approached the Tamale High Court on January 29, 2024, and filed a motion ex-parte, challenging the results of the primary election.
The motion aims to stop Dr. Tia Mahama from assuming the position of the NPP’s parliamentary candidate-elect for the Walewale Constituency.
The defeated MP is calling for a recount of the votes, especially with the 13 rejected ballots.
The court has therefore ordered that the defendants, including Dr. Tia Mahama and his associates, be restrained from proclaiming him as the NPP candidate-elect for the Walewale Constituency in the upcoming 2024 parliamentary elections.
Additionally, the court ordered that Dr. Mahama’s name should not be submitted to the NPP National Office as the candidate-elect for the Walewale Constituency primaries held on January 27, 2024.
