Jostling for Tamale Central NDC parliamentary seat begins as Inusah Fuseini bows out from parliament

Before the Member of Parliament (MP) for Tamale Central in the Northern Region, Alhaji Inusah Fuseini,  finally bows out of Parliament following his decision not to seek  re-election in the  2020 general election, the jostling for his seat has begun earnestly in the constituency.

Two stalwarts of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the persons of Ibrahim Mohammed Murtala, a former Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry in the former President John Mahama administration, and Mr Abdul Hanan Gundadow, the immediate past Metropolitan Chief Executive (MCE) of Tamale, have emerged as the possible successors to Alhaji Fuseini.

The two personalities

Ibrahim Murtala who could not retain the Nanton parliamentary seat in the Northern Region for the NDC in the 2016 general election after losing it to the New Patriotic Party (NPP) has pitched camp at the Tamale Central Constituency to re-enter Parliament.

The Tamale Central Constituency, which is located in the central business district (CBD) of the Tamale metropolis and also the regional capital of the Northern Region, is perceived to be a traditional seat of the NDC, hence the jostling, tackling and whacking expected to be intense and severe in the coming days, weeks and months.

Political watchers

Some political watchers in the constituency said they could not wait to see the contest between the two personalities who had emerged to take over from Alhaji Fuseini.

Delegates/supporters divided

Both delegates and supporters of the NDC in the Tamale Central Constituency are already divided on the lines of the two personalities who have emerged in the constituency to contest the seat.

Investigations by the Daily Graphic indicated that the opinions of the delegates and party supporters are in favour of the past MCE of Tamale rather than the former deputy minister of Trade and Industry who made the party to lose the Nanton seat to the NPP in the 2016 election and, is now running to take solace in the Tamale Central Constituency.

Some NDC supporters and delegates who spoke to the Daily Graphic stated that Murtala should rather channel all his resources and energy in winning back the Nanton seat from the NPP instead of to running to Tamale Central to take cover.

Information gathered by the Daily Graphic indicated that Murtala was claiming he was a native of the area before moving to Nanton to contest and, therefore, was coming back to his roots.

On the part of the former MCE  some NDC supporters are of the view that he has the pedigree and what it takes to take over from Alhaji Fuseini, a former Minister of Lands and Natural Resources as well as Roads and Highways in former President Mahama’s administration.

Recall

Alhaji Fuseini, a trained teacher and lawyer, became MP through a by-election in 2006 after the incumbent Wayo Seini defected from the NDC to the NPP.

This resulted in a by-election in the Tamale Central Constituency on April 4, 2006. Alhaji Fuseini won the election with a majority of 17,502 votes.

He successfully held his seat in 2008 with 66 per cent of the votes cast and retained the seat in 2012 and 2016 with 61 per cent and 60 per cent of votes cast respectively.

Alhaji Fuseini would have held the seat for 14 years by the time he exits Parliament.