FIVE TO CONTEST CHEREPONI ELECTION (PAGE 16)

FIVE aspiring parliamentary candidates, including a female, are expected to file their nominations to contest the Chereponi by-election in the Northern Region by the close of nominations at 4p.m. today.
Four political parties and an independent aspirant are contesting the Tuesday, September 29, 2009 by-election in the area.
The four parties are the National Democratic Congress (NDC), the New Patriotic Party (NPP), the People’s National Convention (PNC), and the New Vision Party (NVP).
The forthcoming by-election followed the death of the Member of Parliament, Madam Doris Saibi Seidu, last month.
According to the Regional Director of the Electoral Commission (EC), Mr Sylvester Kanyi, the aspirants are Samuel Jabanyite, who is contesting on the ticket of the NDC. Abubakari Aminu is doing it for the NPP, while the only female, Rebecca Namana Jabari, is contesting for the PNC. Issah Yaw is contesting on the ticket of the New Vision Party while Tamado Kofis is an Independent candidate.
Mr Kanyi explained that the EC was prepared for the exercise, adding that materials had started arriving for the by-election.
He observed that the inaccessibility of most polling stations due to floods was a major challenge facing the EC.
He, therefore, appealed to the Ministry of Defence to support his outfit by providing helicopters to airlift election materials, officials and security men to and from the area.
The Northern Regional Police Command is also expected to meet all stakeholders, including the various political parties, this week to ensure a peaceful by-election.
There were 23,270 eligible voters during the 2008 general election with an 80-per cent voter turnout.
According to a GNA report, Mr Samuel Abulai Jabanyiti, a 36-year-old teacher at the Chereponi Senior High School in the Northern Region, was elected by the NDC to contest the Chereponi parliamentary seat.
He polled 117 votes to beat three contestants to win the primary election organised by the party and conducted by the Electoral Commission at Chereponi.
His closest rival, Mr Emmanuel Kando, the Presiding Member of the Chereponi District Assembly and a health worker, had nine votes, Madam Mary Nakobu, a teacher polled four votes, while Mr Jaminja Ndaka got two votes.
Mr Jabanyiti expressed optimism that the NDC would wrest the seat from the NPP, saying: "The wind of change swinging everywhere is an indication that the people of Chereponi would want to be associated with the ruling party for effective development for the constituency."
He said when given the nod, his priority attention would be the improvement of agriculture and education to raise the living standards of the people.
Mr Jabanyiti said 80 per cent of his share of the MP's Common Fund would be channelled into scholarships to students and teachers in the constituency.
He appealed to the constituents to vote massively for the NDC to complete its "I care for you" development agenda.
Mr Jabanyiti appealed to the rank and file of the party to see his victory as a challenge to the unity of the NDC and should discard ethnic politics since Chereponi was bigger than any ethnic consideration. — GNA