Yagaba –Kubori: NDC Chairman accused of making party unattractive

Some supporters of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the Yagaba-Kubori Constituency of the North East Region are up in arms against their Constituency Chairman Baba Fuseini popularly known as Atta, accusing him of making the party politically unattractive in the constituency.

They hold the view that the conduct of the NDC executive member is making the Party in the area very unpopular and as a result, may not be able to snatch the seat from the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the 2024 polls as earlier envisaged.

They allege the Chairman is meddling in Chieftaincy matters and this has angered some opinion leaders in the constituency and could have some repercussions on the party’s chances politically.

“Some Chiefs in the area are very angry with the Party because of our chairman who is meddling in Chieftaincy matters. This has resulted in some chiefs being angry with us and if care is not taken could negatively affect the chances of the party in the forthcoming general elections”, Abdulai Tanko who speaks for the group said.

 He noted further: “We are treading on dangerous grounds and the earlier the Chairman reconsiders his involvement in Chieftaincy matters, the better for us. We know his brother is a Chief but that should not be a guarantee for him to disrespect some of the chiefs in some communities.”

They hold the view that the national leadership of the Party must confront the matter head-on as this is gradually sparking some tension with emergence of various camps within the NDC with a case currently before the Nayiri, Overlord of the Mamprugu Kingdom.

“If the Chairman is not stopped, we may have to kiss our hopes on snatching the Yagaba-Kubori seat this year goodbye. People are not happy though they have chosen not to speak out and the Parliamentary Candidate, Musah Sibiri Hamidu will become the greatest loser”, they warned.

There are however fears the margin of defeat could widen if immediate steps are not taken to deal with the thorny issues relating to the anger of chiefs and opinion leaders the party is battling with.

Yagaba-Kubori Constituency

Since its inception in 2004, the constituency has witnessed keen competition between the two major political parties — the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC).

Based on election history, it can best be described as a swing constituency as the NDC won the parliamentary seat in 2004, 2008 and 2016, while the NPP won it in 2012 and 2020.

In its first parliamentary election in 2004, the former NDC Member of Parliament (MP), Abdul-Rauf Ibrahim Tanko, won the seat, marking the beginning of the constituency’s political journey.

He retained the seat in 2008. However, the incumbent NPP MP, Mustapha Ussif, snatched it in 2012 with 8,123 votes, representing 53.10 per cent, while his opponent, Alhaji Tanko, had 7,175 votes, representing 46.90 per cent.

In 2016, Mr Ussif lost to Alhaji Tanko after garnering 8,294 votes, representing 42.89 per cent, as against 10,990 votes polled by his opponent.

Mr Ussif, who is the Minister of Youth and Sports, was re-elected in 2020.

In a fiercely contested election, he polled 18,153 votes, representing 65.74 per cent, while Alhaji Tanko, the current NDC North East Regional Chairman, secured 9,393 votes, representing 34.02 per cent.