Tamale, April 4, (Team) GNA - The enthusiasm with which the electorate voted in Election 2004 in the Tamale Metropolis cannot be said to be the same as the Tamale Central Constituency by-election, which kicked off at 0700 hours on Tuesday.

Many of the electorate are not enthused about the election. Women were seen busy searching for water, others selling porridge and beans cake (kose) while the men were sitting in groups taking sunbath and not going to cast their votes.

Shop owners were seen transacting business while commercial and taxi drivers were also in business.

At the Agricultural Development Bank (ADB) Polling Station, nine persons had cast their ballot as at 0709 hours; 25 had voted at the Tishigu Central Mosque Polling Station at 0714 hours and behind House No. B382 Polling Station 35 voters had cast their vote while many were still in the queue to vote.

At the Central Bus Stop Polling Station "B", 12 people had voted as at 0720 hours out of the 729 registered voters while 34 had cast their ballot at Polling Station "A" out of the 721 registered voters. At Dakpema Primary School Polling Station, 25 out of the 785 eligible voters had cast their vote as at 0830 hours while at SDA Primary School Polling Station (Changni), 50 out of the 621 voters had cast their vote by 0900 hours while 200 out of the 1,098 registered voters had voted as at 0910 hours.

At the Temporary Booth Polling Station near Forman House, a 91-year-old Amidu Alhasaan was allowed to cast his vote even though he had lost his voter ID card. His name and the ID number corresponded with those on the voters' register.

There is heavy Police presence at all the polling stations that the Five persons are contesting the Tamale Central Constituency seat, which became vacant following the resignation of Professor Alhassan Wayo Seini, the then NDC Member of Parliament.

They are: Prof. Wayo Seini, Independent; Inusah Fuseini, NDC; Rita Adams Rukaya, DPP; Ahmed Abdul-Karim Independent and Basharu Alhassan Daballi, CPP.