Five hundred and eight aspirants have filed their nominations to contest this year’s District Assembly and Unit committee elections on December 17 in Tema.

In an interview with the Ghana News Agency, Nana Oduro Numapau, Tema Metropolitan Electoral Officer, said 88 people filed to contest the Assembly elections in the Tema Metropolis adding that the figure comprised of 83 males and five females.

He indicated that 66 aspirants made up of 55 males and 11 females successfully filed their nomination in the Tema West Municipality to contest for the Assembly member position.

Mr Numapau said a total of 354 aspirants filed to contest for unit committee positions for both Tema Metropolis and Tema West Municipality.

Out of the figure, 211 made up of 174 males and 37 females would contest in Tema Metropolis while 143 aspirants comprising of 108 men and 35 women filed to contest in Tema West.

He revealed that there would be unit committee elections in all the electoral areas except Dzata-bu unit in Tema West, Republic unit and Uhuru unit in Tema Metropolis as only five, three and four filed respectively to contest explaining that the figures were below the five to be elected for each unit committee.

The December 17 elections, which will also see electorates voting a yes or no in a referendum for the election of district chief executives as against their apppintments by the president, will be carried out in all 266 and 185 polling stations respectively, in Tema Metropolis and Tema West Municipality.

Touching on the ongoing transfer of votes, Mr Numapau said the exercise took off smoothly noting however that some patrons did not present the original copies of needed documents such as utility bills to confirm their residential status adding that unfortunately, they did not understand why they were turned away and asked to bring the original.