Security will be tight at the Aliu Mahama Sports Stadium in Tamale, the venue for the Northern Regional delegates’ conference of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) scheduled to take place today.

The Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Northern Regional Police Command, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Mr Mohammed Yusif Tanko, disclosed this in an interview with the Daily Graphic in Tamale after inspecting the venue for the regional executive elections on Friday, April 27, 2018.

Security measures

He has, therefore, appealed to the general public and supporters of the NPP who will be at the venue for the regional elections to cooperate with members of the various security agencies who will be deployed at the venue to ensure law and order.

According to DSP Mr Tanko, both uniformed and plain-clothes police personnel from the Regional Police Command, together with some military personnel and officers of the National Bureau of Investigations (BNI), as well as operatives of the National Security, will be deployed.

He said the stringent security measures put in place “are to ensure incident free, smooth and peaceful elections which will be supervised by the Regional Directorate of the Electoral Commission (EC).”

Delegates’ conference

Over 500 delegates from the 31 constituencies in the region are expected to cast their ballots in the elections which many have described as a keenly contested one.

The regional delegates’ conference, which was postponed to today, Saturday, April 28, 2018, would also decide the fate of some incumbent regional executives who are seeking re-election to enable them to continue with their mandate.

Key among them are the incumbent Regional Chairman, Mr Daniel Bugri Naabu, now Abdul-Fatawu Bugri Naabu, and the Regional Secretary, Mr Sule Salifu, who is now the Northern Regional Coordinator of the Youth Employment Agency (YEA).

Mr Bugri Naabu is being challenged by four other candidates: Mr Mohammed A Baantima Samba, a Tamale based businessman who has been tipped to unseat him; Ahaji Abdallah Hindu, the Northern Regional Coordinator of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO); Alhaji Musigu Sibawey and Amadu Inusah, also known as Dagomba Boy.

Mr Sule Salifu, the incumbent Regional Secretary who is also going for re-elections, has other four contestants challenging him for the position and they are Abukari Iddrisu, Natoma Awusi Mahama, Sule Sambian and Mohammed Yussif Alhassan.

However, Sule Sambian, a lawyer, and Natoma Awusi Mahama have also been tipped as the candidates who are likely to unseat Mr Salifu.

Forty-one others will also be battling for the remaining eight regional positions in the Northern Region: first vice chairperson, second vice chairperson, women’s organiser, regional organiser, youth organiser, assistant secretary, treasurer and Nasara coordinator.

An aide to Mr Bugri Naabu told this reporter that they were expecting the incumbent chairman to be discharged from the Tamale Teaching Hospital (TTH) where he was sent for treatment after the accident.