News:
July 7, 2015
The ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) has reclaimed the Talensi from the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in a tensed contest that was characterized by gun shots and bloodshed.
The umbrella family’s candidate, Benson Tongo Baba, a former Director-General of the Ghana Prisons Service, polled 10,366 of the total valid cast, representing 42.31%, to win the seat which was declared vacant by the Speaker of Parliament, Edward Doe Adjaho, following the resignation of Robert Nachinab Doameng Mosore, in June 2015.
Mr. Mosore who served two and half years in office was enskinned Paramount Chief of Tongo and had to resign the Parliamentary seat to take up the chieftaincy mantle.
His closest rival, Thomas Pearson Duanab Wuni from the New Patriotic Party (NDC) polled 6,845 votes, representing 27.94% of the total 24,499 valid votes cast.
The other candidates, Joseph Toatoba from the Progressive Peoples Party (PPP) obtained 214 votes, representing 0.87% while Michael Namalteng Wombeogo from the Peoples National Convention (PNC) garnered 6,836 votes, representing 27.90% of the total valid votes cast.
Dennis Atiah Tambil from the Independent Peoples Party (IPP) polled 38 votes while James Mambora Doubil from the New Vision Party (NVP) managed 93 votes.
Philip Bameezina Yaro from the Ghana Freedom Party (GFP) and Isaac Kungasore from the United Progressive Party (UPP) polled 58 and 49 votes respectively.
B. T. Baba’s win now brings to total 148 of NDC Parliamentary seats while that of the NPP drops to 122 from a previous 123 seats.
Pollster and Editor-In-Chief of the Daily Dispatch Newspaper, Ben Ephson, Monday, predicted that a well accepted apology will cling the NDC the Talensi seat.
“If the people accept the apology, NDC will win …, if they reject it, NPP will win,” he noted in an interview with Fiifi Banson on Anopa Kasopa on Kasapa 102.3 FM Monday.
He said in the run up to the 2012 general elections, candidate B. T. Baba lost miserably in “a bitter NDC parliamentary primary to John Tia” who was the incumbent Member of Parliament.
As a result of this, about 7000 to 8000 of his supporters turned against the party where half of that number voted for Robert Nachinab Doameng Mosore of the NPP while the rest voted for the candidate that represented the Peoples National Convention (PNC) party.
With this hostility coupled with the time frame in going into the 2016 general elections, Mr. Ephson said the opportunity that the by-election had brought about was the best moment for the NDC to make amends with the people.
He said all the big wigs in the umbrella family who were in Talensi were on their begging knees pleading for forgiveness in the event that happened prior to the 2012 Parliamentary election.
The Talensi seat, had for the past three terms, been occupied by the ruling NDC with a majority of 2000 votes difference, he said.