157 females to contest Assembly elections in E/R

A total of 157 females from 26 districts in the Eastern Region have filed their nominations to contest the District Assembly Elections in March.

East Akyem Municipality recorded the highest number of 13 females, followed by New Juaben Municipal which recorded 12 and Kwahu South Municipality 11.

Akuapem North Municipal, Birim Central Municipal, Asuogyaman, Kwaebibirem and Fanteakwa Districts recorded 10 female contestants each, Upper Manya Krobo, Upper West Akyem and Afram Plains South Districts recorded the least of one female each.

Apart from Lower Manya Krobo District which would not hold the election, the rest of the districts recorded from one to nine female aspirants.

Mr Selormey Dogbey, Regional Electoral Officer told Ghana News Agency (GNA) that a total number of female aspirants formed six per cent as compared to 4,344 male aspirants who formed a whopping 94 per cent.

He said the Unit Committee elections also saw a total of 475 women filing their nominations, which represent approximately 9.9 per cent as against male nominees of 4,344 which represented 90.1 per cent.

Mr Dogbey expressed worry that, as many as 52 unit committees had zero nominations as a result of which the Electoral Commission had been compelled to extend the nominations in those areas.

He appealed to interested Ghanaians in those units to pick nomination forms to fill the vacant positions.

Mr Dogbey told the GNA that, everything in terms of preparation towards the district assembly elections is in order and that the region had submitted the nominations to Accra awaiting the Notice of Poll.

In 2010, the region recorded 198 female aspirants as against 157 in 2015 which shows a reduction of 41.