Residents of Kukuo, Duli Zugu and Yipelinaayili in the Kumbungu District have resolved not to allow political parties to campaign in their communities until they are connected to the national electric grid.

This was contained in a petition read at a durbar of chiefs and people of the three communities held at Yipelinaayili on Saturday.

The petition was read by Mr Mahama Seidu, Convenor of the durbar, and copied to the Northern Regional Minister, District Chief Executive of Kumbungu, Member of Parliament for Kumbungu, Electoral Commission, Paramount Chief of Kumbungu and all political parties.

It said “we wish to emphasize that if nothing is done about our plight, we will be left with no option but to stay away from the polls this year” and would not allow any political party to campaign in the three communities.

It added “now we feel that we must also have our share of the national cake” and we are calling on the government to take urgent steps to extend electricity to the communities.

The petition said Kukuo, Duli Zugu and Yipelinaayili are farming communities along the main Tamale-Kumbungu Road in the Kumbungu District with a population of over 1,200 and more than 120 houses, which had been without electricity for many years.

It said “even though we are just about three kilometers away from the district capital and about four kilometers away from the regional capital, Tamale, with high tension electric pylons passing through our communities, the authorities have failed to extend electricity to our communities despite persistent appeals to them in that regard”.

It said “having become tired of listening to empty promises by politicians, we have decided to [offer] our votes in exchange for electricity since the lack of electricity is drawing our communities backward.”

The petition said residents of the three communities felt neglected in the implementation of the national development agenda even though they continued to vote and pay taxes adding that the lack of electricity has compelled the youth to migrate to urban areas in search of greener pastures.

Naa Zakaria Iddrisu, Chief of Kumbungu-Kukuo, appealed to the government to urgently extend electricity to the three communities to address the plight of the residents.

Mr Mohammed Hardi, Assembly Member of Yagrafong Electoral Area, said he had raised the issue at various meetings of the Kumbungu District Assembly but could not tell why electricity has not been extended to the three communities.

Representatives of National Democratic Congress, New Patriotic Party and Convention People’s Party in the three communities expressed worry about the situation saying the three communities deserved to be connected to the national grid.