9 Females win assembly elections in Upper West Region
Only nine female contestants emerged winners in the recent district level elections in the Upper West Region out of a total of 37 females who contested in the elections in the 293 electoral areas.
In the Wa Municipality, for instance, Ms Margaret Vera Sann, a 57-year-old nurse from the Kunta Electoral Area, who was the only female contestant in the Wa Municipality, emerged winner to represent her people in the Wa Municipal Assembly. There were 704 males who also contested in various parts of the region.
According to the Upper West Regional Director of the Electoral Commission (EC), Mr Serebour Quaicoe, the females, mostly teachers, were between the ages of 31 and 58. Only one woman, Madam Belane Marciana, a 58-year-old teacher, who filed her nomination at the Nabugangn Electoral Area in the Nandom District, was returned unopposed, while Madam Mercy Bisunkana Nyame, a 31-year-old teacher, who contested at the Stadium Residential Electoral Area in the Sissala East District, won.
Winners
The other winners are Ms Tipaani Asetu Amadu, a 40-year-old weaver, who hitherto was a government appointee at the Yipienuor Electoral Area in the Wa West District; Ms Esther Chibu, 45, from the Goli Electoral Area in the Nadowli/ Kaleo District; Madam Grace Bacheyie Tang Simon of Gyan Electoral Area and Madam Helen Zaato from the Priyiri Electoral Area, both in the Jirapa District.
The rest are Madam Vivian Dondome Beyuo Kpirnuru, a 42-year-old radio presenter at Residential Area in the Nandom District also got the nod to represent her electoral area. Mr Quaicoe noted that with the outcome of the elections, the results had produced a new crop of enthusiastic youthful candidates who would blend with the old guards for effective participation in governance at the local level. He noted that there were many casualties in the region with seven incumbent assembly members losing their seats in Wa East while eight incumbents also lost in the Wa Municipality.
The overwhelming majority of the members who won in the region do not make the decision-making process at the grass-roots gender sensitive since all the municipal and district chief executives (DCEs) are also males. There will be no women in majority of the assemblies and so one can only hope that some females are appointed to the assembly by the government towards grass-roots participation.
Turnout
Mr Quaicoe noted that the region, however, recorded 49 per cent turnout with 179,270 out of 370,472 people casting their votes. According to him, the Sissala East District topped the list with a 57 per cent turnout while Wa East and West, Nadowli/Kaleo, Daffiama/ Bussie/Issa Lambussie/Karni, and Nandom districts all recorded over 50 per cent turnout. Apart from the Wa Municipality, Jirapa and Lawra districts, which recorded between 40 and 45 per cent turnout, the region generally recorded a high turnout at the elections.
He said he was happy that there was no report of any disturbances at any of the polling centres in the region.
