Who wins Northern Region in 2016?

It is interesting to note that the Northern Region will become a political attraction for both the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), as well as the other smaller political parties contesting this year’s election.

The Northern Region, therefore, can best be described as the political heartbeat of the 2016 election. The reason is simple. The region is the home-region of the sitting President, President John Dramani Mahama, while the region equally serves as a home-region to the Vice-Presidential nominee of the NPP, Dr Alhaji Mahamadu Bawumia.

The Northern Region is also the home region of the Presidential candidate of the People’s National Convention (PNC), Dr Edward Nasigre Mahama. Although Dr Mahama’s chances of appearing on the 2016 ballot paper is not certain, his party will still field some parliamentary candidates. Thus, all these political moguls are going to battle out the votes in the region.

Political temperature

With less than five weeks to go for the December 7, 2016 presidential and parliamentary elections, the political temperature in the Northern Region has heightened with the various political parties contesting the election crisscrossing one another’s path to see who wins the region.

Until recent times, the region has been a stronghold of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) but the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) is also making some inroads in the region.

Gauging from the mood of the people in the region, this year’s election would be one of the difficult election that one could predict and it would be hotly contested in the region.

Cry for peace

The cry for peace has also been heightened in the region with the various Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) pitching their camps to impress on the youth who can be engaged by the politicians to cause violence in the region before, during and after election on the need to maintain peace.

In spite of all the peace messages being churned out at various fora and on the airwaves across the length and breadth of the region, the various political parties, especially the NDC and NPP, are not leaving any stone unturned in their bid to win the region.

Who wins?

Although we are not political pundits, our concern, however, is “who wins the Northern Region in this year’s election”?

The politicians have laced their political boots and have also marshalled  their political arsenals in readiness to capture the region but it would all depend on the thumbs of the electorate who would decide whether to vote or not.

The NDC, for instance, has declared what it termed “operation win all parliamentary seats” while the NPP has also set a target to win 17 seats out of the 31 parliamentary seats and increased its presidential votes.

Both the NDC and NPP are aiming at the majority votes in the region in this year’s election.

2012 records

It would be recalled that the NDC’s John Mahama obtained 570,602 votes in the 2012 general elections, representing 58.23 per cent of the total ballots cast.

The NPP’s Nana Akufo-Addo, on the other hand, secured 383,263 amounting to 39.11 per cent.

The Presidential candidate of the Progressive People’s Party (PPP), Dr Paa Kwesi Nduom also bagged 7,303 representing 0.75 per cent. Dr Henry Herbert Lartey of the Great Consolidated Popular Party (GCPP) obtained 6,277, representing 0.64 per cent.

The Convention People’s Party’s Dr Abu Sakara secured 4,145 votes, corresponding to 0.42 per cent, while the then Presidential candidate of the PNC, Hassan Ayariga, managed to get 3,357, equaling 0.34 per cent.

The only independent Presidential candidate in the 2012 election, Jacob Osei Yeboah obtained 3,111 votes in the Northern Region, representing 0.32 per cent, while the United Front Party’s Akwasi Addai Odike obtained 1,920 votes, representing 0.20 per cent.

NDC

 The Northern Regional NDC Director of Elections, Mr Rashid Computer Tanko, in an interview with the Daily Graphic said the NDC was poised to win the Northern Region hands down based on the massive infrastructure development undertaken by President Mahama in the region.

“The NDC has targeted to win all the 31 constituencies in the region and has also set a target for 1,000,000 votes for President Mahama which is twice the votes he obtained in the 2012 general election”.

He also said the peace and tranquility the party is enjoying in terms of peace and unity within the party would greatly contribute to achieving their target.

He said the President has brought many projects in the region, mentioning, the Tamale Airport, the Eastern Corridor road, Fulfuso- Damongo-Sawla road, New Tamale market, Teaching Hospital Expansion project, expansion of rural electrification project, provision of safe drinking water for urban and rural communities, would bring them the votes.

In the last election, the NDC won 19 parliamentary seats, while the NPP got 10 with an independent candidate also securing a seat and the CPP winning the Kumbungu parliamentary seat in a bye-election after Alhaji Mohammed Mumuni of the NDC and a former Minister of Foreign Affairs relinquished the seat after securing an international appointment.

However, the NPP in 2012 was able to increase its parliamentary seats from three in the 2008 general elections to 10 in the 2012 general election and has targeted to win 17 seats in the 2016 general election and also doubled their presidential candidates votes.

NPP

According to the NPP Northern Regional Secretary, Mr Sule Salifu, the party was working hard to increase its parliamentary seats to 17 and doubled the Presidential votes from 300,000 to 600,000.

In his view, looking at the level of despondency among the people in the Northern Region based on the abysmal performance of President Mahama and his government, there was no way they would vote for the NDC.

Mr Salifu added that the NPP had made a lot of inroads in the Northern Region with Alhaji Dr Bawumia who is the running mate campaigning hard in a region perceived to be the stronghold of the ruling government.

The battle for the Northern Region is between the two dominant parties, the ruling NDC and the opposition NPP as the other political parties such as the PNC, CPP, PPP are yet to lay any claims on the region.

In all these, the residents, who are the electorate cannot be left out in this scheme of affairs as some have given reasons for their choice to vote for any of the political parties.

Public views

According to Auntie Mamunatu Alhassan, a trader in the Tamale central business district area, things are difficult now and people are not buying because there is no money in the system, adding that because of the harsh economic conditions, she would not vote at all in this year’s election, stating that she supports the NDC and voted for the party but she is not sure she would vote in this year’s election.

A fruit seller, Bilal, who said she also support the NDC, stated that no matter the economic hardship, she would vote for the NDC in the coming election, adding that what would motivate her to vote for the NDC again would be the relative peace in the Tamale metropolis, adding that whenever the NDC is in power, the metropolis is peaceful but when the NPP is in power, there is always tension. 

Mohammed Adinani, a 22-year-old tertiary student, said “I think NPP is winning because Dr Mahamadu Bawumia with Nana Addo is a good pair and they can rule Ghana better than the current government. I think the combination is just very good. They will rule Ghana better”.