Lariba Abudu, the Member of Parliament for Walewale, has announced her withdrawal from the New Patriotic Party (NPP) primaries in the constituency.
Her decision comes just ahead of a scheduled National Executive Committee meeting on September 11, 2024, which aims to address the situation.
In a letter, the Walewale MP noted, “Following the inconclusive re-run of the parliamentary primary in the Walewale constituency yesterday (with the Electoral Commission unable to declare a result as a result of an unfortunate incident),
“I have decided that in the interest of the greater good of the new patriotic party and peace and unity in the Walewale constituency, I will no longer be a candidate for MP in the 2024 elections. I am therefore formally withdrawing from the contest.
“I would like to thank the party for the honour done me in representing my constituency over the last four years and can assure the party of my continued support in the 2024 election campaign.”
The High Court in Tamale on Monday, September 2, declared the December 2023 primary null and void and ordered for a rerun that came off yesterday [Monday, September 9] which was marred by chaos during the sorting process.
The Electoral Commission (EC) declared the September 9 rerun as null and void after an unknown individual disrupted the sorting process and destroyed most of the ballot papers.
The withdrawal of the MP’s candidature indicates Dr. Kabiru Tia Mahama will be on the ballot for the NPP on December 7.
Background
In January 2024, Dr. Kabiru Tia Mahama, who is a special advisor to Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, edged out Hajia Lariba in a closely fought primary.
The election, which took place under stringent security measures and was attended by regional and constituency executives, resulted in a victory for Dr. Kabiru with 345 votes, compared to the sitting Member of Parliament (MP), Hajia Lariba Zuweratu’s 338 votes.
Hajia Lariba promptly disputed the election results and lodged an ex parte motion at the Tamale High Court, accusing the party, Dr Kabiru, and the Electoral Commission of electoral irregularities and misconduct.
In the primary, two other candidates, Tahiru Sham-Una and Jangdoo Mahama, received 145 and 1 vote, respectively. Initially, the NPP, as a third defendant, sought to have the case dismissed, alleging that Hajia Lariba had breached the party’s constitution by not utilising internal conflict resolution mechanisms before resorting to the court.
Prior to this ruling, NPP supporters in the Walewale constituency held a press conference calling for the intervention of the party’s Presidential Candidate, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, to settle the dispute.
They cautioned that if the issue is not resolved swiftly, it could potentially harm the party’s prospects in the forthcoming general elections.
Meanwhile, the High Court in March granted pleas by the NPP to settle the dispute out-of-court.
In a previous session on March 15, the party had asked the court to dismiss the case, but the court refused and fined the party GH¢8000.
