Paul Alale Agobire, a professional teacher at the Binduri Community Day School has clinched victory in the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) parliamentary primaries for the Bawku Central constituency in a closely contested race.
Mr. Alale secured the win by the slimmest of margins, edging out his closest contender, Lawyer Mohammed Tahiru Nambe, with just a single vote difference. He obtained 176 votes while Lawyer Nambe had 175 votes.
Other contenders, Amadu Mogtar Bagya had 163 votes, Mahmud Issah secured 102 votes while Salifu Bashiru had 35 votes. The only female in the race, Agbanwa Gabiana Abugri who was the NPP parliamentary candidate for the 2020 election could only obtain 33 votes.
After the ballots were counted and the results tallied, it was revealed that Paul Alale Agobire secured victory with a razor-thin margin, winning by a single vote over Mohammed Tahiru Nambe.
However, Lawyer Nambe who demanded a recount of the votes wanted a particular ballot to be rejected. A video circulating on social media had an official of the EC saying “Professionally, we have seen the paper as a correct vote. It is not a rejected vote. There are two things, if you think that our advice will not work, we will give you your things and leave peacefully”
In response, the private legal practitioner, Lawyer Nambe who was heard in the video, blatantly told the EC officials to “give us our things and leave peacefully.”
But officers of the Electoral Commission who declared the particular ballot as valid stood on their grounds against the wish of the lawyer and declared the teacher the parliamentary candidate-elect for the Bawku central constituency.
Paul Alale Agobire, the NPP parliamentary candidate will face the incumbent MP for Bawku Central, Mahama Ayariga of the National Democratic Congress in the general election which is expected to be fiercely contested.
Source: A1Radioonline.com|101.1Mhz|Joshua Asaah|Ghana
