The National Democratic Congress (NDC) officers in the Savannah Region have dismissed claims they colluded with the the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Parliamentary Candidate, Samuel Abu Jinapor to recognize his victory as MP-elect of Damongo.
In a four-page statement signed by the party’s regional secretary, Salisu Be-Awuribe, he insisted that the executives had not represented Mr. Mutawakilu in any engagements with Electoral Commission officials, neither had they endorsed his opponent, Mr. Jinapor at any point.
The statement noted that as far as the regional officers were concerned, collation of results from the polling stations had not happened, implying that they did not recognize Mr. Jinapor as Mp-elect.
“We want to state unequivocally that we did not claim to represent you in any meeting with the Electoral Commission but rather we were invited to the Regional Interparty Advisory Committee meeting by the Regional Director of Elections in our capacities as Regional Chairman and Regional Secretary of the Party to which your constituency falls and we went to the said meeting in our respective capacities as we were invited.
“We want to also assure you and the general Public that there was no endorsement, collation and declaration of the NPP Parliamentary candidate for Damongo at the said meeting and no blanket authority was given without following a laid down procedure as was signed to in a memorandum of understanding reached between the commission and all political parties and Security Chiefs present,” the letter addressed to Mr. Mutawakilu read in part.
The regional secretary also highlighted the major impact of violence and scuffles which he said hampered the collation process.
The Regional Director of the Electoral Commission, Johnson Akafiu had declared Mr. Jinapor Mp-elect, telling the media that the parties had agreed to collate and announce both presidential and parliamentary results.
According to the results read, the NPP’s Samuel Jinapor polled 16,222 votes, Mutawakilu, on the NDC ticket obtained 14,425 and Saaka Baba Moses, an independent candidate, received 66 votes.
