THE CUSTODIAN can exclusively report that the Metropolitan Chief Executive for Tamale, Hon Sule Salifu, will pick forms to contest the Tamale Central Constituency primaries when the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) opens nominations on Tuesday, July 11.
The NPP has announced the opening of nominations in constituencies where the party has no Members of Parliament (MPs) also known as orphan constituencies.
The decision was taken following the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) and National Council meetings held on April 3, 2023.
The Mayor of Tamale in an interview said all relevant stakeholders in the party have been consulted broadly and they have given him their blessings and greenlight to contest.
“I have done a lot of consultations among the rank and file of the NPP and they have given their blessings to contest. I also think that I have contributed so much in Tamale Central and I want to confirm that when nominations are opened, I will pick up the form,” he said.
The former NPP Northern Regional Secretary has also refuted assertions that he is not eligible to contest in the Tamale Central constituency saying, “I have lived all my life from my school days here and all my political activities done here”.
Mr. Sule Salifu disclosed further that he has been voting at the Central Mosque polling station in the constituency and not his native Zabuzugu constituency.
He argues his ambition to lead the NPP into the 2024 elections is not just to appear on the ballot paper but to make an impact and win the seat for the party.
He added nothing in this world is impossible and articulated that the governing NPP in the 2020 general elections won some traditional seats of the National Democratic Congress that in the past were touted as no go areas for the NPP.
“We never won Karaga but by the grace of God, today, Dr Amin Anta is the Member of Parliament for Karaga. It took us a long time to win Tolon and today Tolon is no go area for the NDC. We suffered to win Damongo, it never happened but today Damongo is for us; the Mion seat we have never won, today is for us, and so nothing is impossible with the will of God” he stressed.
Meanwhile, the NPP has not won the Tamale Central seat since 2004 when it was created from the then Gulkpegu/Sabonjida into now Tamale South and Tamale Central constituencies. The late Mustapha Ali Idris won the Gulkpegu/Sabonjida constituency for the NPP in 1996 and 2000.
However, the governing NPP has consistently obtained significant votes in both parliamentary and presidential elections since 2008.
In his remarks, Sule Salifu said his vision as Member of Parliament for the area is to tackle women and youth empowerment, roads and infrastructure for education and health.
“If you take a place like Salamba, the inner roads have not been created, if you go to Sabonjida we still have a lot of work as far as access roads are concerned. It is the same thing if you go to Vittin, Dohinayili and Kalariga. We still have a lot of developmental challenges.
“We need more school blocks; the furniture situation alone is huge because this is a very big metropolis. We need more CHPS compounds for the people to have easy access to healthcare and I think these are some of the issues we have to focus on” he added.
The Tamale Mayor indicated entrepreneurial and vocational skills training is necessary for the idealing youth and women groups, stating this will make economically sound and useful to the society.
Meanwhile, critics of the Tamale Mayor argue that he is soft and too diplomatic for a cosmopolitan area such as the northern regional capital.
But, in his response, Mr. Sule Salifu believes handling the people of Tamale, especially the youth, requires persuasive and dialogue strategies in order to achieve the desired objectives.
