Walewale NPP primary: Lariba Abudu withdraws - Party takes decision today
The incumbent New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament for Walewale Constituency, Hajia Lariba Zuweira Abudu, has withdrawn from the 2024 parliamentary election race.
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In a letter signed by Ms Abudu and copied to the General Secretary of the NPP, Justin Kodua Frimpong, she cited the need for "peace and unity" in the constituency and the "greater good" of the NPP as reasons for her decision.
This comes after the re-run of the parliamentary primary which was marred by an incident that prevented the Electoral Commission from declaring a result.
Hajia Abudu expressed gratitude to the party for the opportunity to represent her constituency over the last four years and assured continued support for the party in the 2024 election campaign.
"I have decided to formally withdraw from the contest," Hajia Abudu said, bringing an end to her bid for re-election.
Meanwhile the party is to take a decision on the Walewale parliamentary primary incident today, the General Secretary of the party, Justin Kodua Frimpong, told a press conference at the party headquarters in Accra yesterday.
"We will take a firm decision today at our National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting," he said, and gave an assurance that the party would address the issue promptly.
Context
The party’s parliamentary primary re-run to elect a candidate for the 2024 parliamentary election was characterised by violence that brought the election to an abrupt end, leading to the Electoral Commission (EC) declaring the polls null and void.
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The disruption occurred when an individual, identified as Kamara Bawah, snatched ballot papers, destroying some of them, a situation which compelled the EC to nullify the election results.
The incident happened around 4 p.m. during the sorting process on Monday, September 9, 2024, leading to chaos and the police firing warning shots to restore order.
The police have detained Kamara Bawah for causing damage to the ballot papers. The EC said, it was an internal party matter which needed to be resolved by the party.
Presser
Speaking at a press conference, Mr Frimpong appealed for patience, saying, "Let's wait for the National Executive Committee's decision which would be based on reports from the police, Electoral Commission and key stakeholders."
He commended the Ghana Police Service for the swift intervention, saying, "Their prompt action ensured law and order at Walewale, and we appreciate their efforts."
The General Secretary said some people were arrested by the police during the incident, and gave the assurance that the party would not shield anybody found culpable.
The decision to be taken at the NEC meeting today is to enable the party to meet the EC’s nomination deadline for filing of parliamentary candidates on Friday.
Background
The re-run primary was ordered by the Tamale High Court due to irregularities in the initial January primary. A total of 842 delegates were expected to vote to determine the NPP's candidate for the upcoming parliamentary elections.
The rerun was fixed for Sunday, September 8, 2024 but had to be postponed to Monday, September 9, 2024. The High Court in Tamale annulled the result of the earlier poll on Monday, September 2, 2024.
The court, presided over by Justice Richard Kogjawah, held that the poll that elected Dr Kabiru Mahama as the party’s parliamentary candidate for the constituency in January, this year, was flawed on account of irregularities, impersonation and over-voting.
Dr Mahama, a special advisor to the Vice-President and flag bearer of the NPP, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, narrowly defeated the Minister of Women, Gender and Social Protection, Hajia Lariba Zuweira Abudu, in a tightly contested primary in the January, 2024 primary.
The election, conducted under heavy security, in the presence of regional and constituency executives, saw Dr Mahama polling 345 votes against Hajia Lariba's 338 votes.
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