A section of the New Patriotic Party youth in the Tolon constituency in the northern region has vehemently opposed the selection of the party’s Northern Regional Organizer, Alhaji Rashid Salifu (COP), as a member of the constituency elections committee.
According to the youth, Alhaji Rashid COP openly campaigned for the Tolon Member of Parliament, Habib Iddrisu, in the 2019 constituency parliamentary primaries and allegedly influenced the outcome of the elections.
Therefore, the youth believes the NPP Regional Organizer cannot be objective and neutral in the discharge of his duties as a member of the elections committee towards the reorganization of the party in Tolon, adding his open love for the incumbent MP explicitly demonstrates his bias against other contenders in the past.
Abdulai Sulemana, a Polling Station Secretary Aspirant from Kasulyili, said they are against the selection of the Regional Organizer and therefore the party should reconsider that decision.
“He is out rightly disqualified; he should not even get involve. As a regional organizer, Rashid was seen campaigning for Alhaji Habib in the constituency primaries against the other candidates. To openly campaign for your preferred candidate in the constituency during the primaries, you should not be seen anywhere near the constituency because of conflict of interest and it is against the principles of the party” he stated.
He added, “If Rashid is so good at organizing the party, why haven’t they won any of the four constituencies in Tamale? He should rather focus in winning any of the Tamale seats and not wait for us to win our constituency and they will come here to mess things up.”
Allege manipulation
Abdulai Sulemana also accused the Tolon NPP legislator of manipulation. He alleged that the Tolon NPP lawmaker during a visit to the community said they had already selected their preferred candidates for the polling stations and everybody therefore was wasting their time.
“…Alhaji Habib said this and I can repeat this even if he was here with us. I’m out to contest because our polling station has decided to contest for electoral area coordinator and they said because I was against Alhaji Habib, they will take my name out of the register even if I win” he asserted.
He noted the attempt by the MP and his surrogates to manipulate the election process will affect the fortunes in the 2024 general elections.
“If they won’t make the process to transparent and allow us choose the people we want, then, we will leave everything for them; no one will contest, nobody should even contest Alhaji Habib in the primaries and we will show them in the general elections that the party is all about numbers” he threatened.
