UE Regional NPP secretary lose bid for Tempane constituency

Story: Benjamin Xornam Glover, Tempane The opposition New Patriotic Party in the newly created Tempane Constituency has elected Mr. Joseph Akudibila as its parliamentary candidate. Mr. Akudibila, a former Deputy Minister for Defense in the Kufour Administration polled 149 votes to defeat two other contenders; Mr. Joseph Dindiock Kpemka, who prior to the polls was the Regional Secretary of the NPP and Mr. Paul Abugre Azumah, a tutor who polled 121 and 12 votes respectively at the primaries which were held on Sunday. The wrong placement of candidates on the ballot party contrary to agreed position at the balloting, led to disagreements and a delay in the process of conducting the polls. Following objections raised by one of the contenders, the Electoral Commission had to reprint the ballot papers, a situation that led to a late start of the programme. Voting eventually kicked off at 4 pm instead of the 10 am scheduled for the exercise. Tempane is one of two constituencies created in the Upper East Region as part of the 45 newly created constituencies. With the victory,Mr. Akudibila will come face to face with the District Chief Executive for the area, Mr. David Adakudugu who is contesting the seat on the ticket of NDC. The NPP candidate was between won the then Garu-Tempane constituency seat as an independent candidate 2000 after he dethrone the NDC; Dominic Azimbe Azumah. While in parliament he aligned himself with the NPP and was appointed Deputy Minister of Defense. In the 2004 elections, however, he lost to the man he defeated at the earlier polls, NDC’s Mr. Dominic Azimbe Azumah. Meanwhile in the Bolgatanga East Constituency, the former Municipal Chief Executive for Bolgatanga won the primaries to contest the seat on the ticket of the NPP. He polled 79 votes to defeat Mr. Emmanuel Abugre Abole, a lecturer at the University of Cape Coast who secured 76 in their primaries. With the dust settled, Mr. Rockson Ayinne Bukari will lock horns with NDC’s Lawyer Dominic Ayine and PNC’s David Apasera for the sole slot to represent the people in parliament -End-