Former Tamale Central MP, Prof Alhassan Wayo Seini is certain to contest the Tamale Central seat as an independent candidate in the bye-election scheduled for April 4, 2006.

Prof Wayo Seini had earlier indicated his preparedness to run on the ticket of the ruling NPP but this has been met by some fierce but legitimate opposition at the constituency level.

Significantly, he failed to satisfy the party constitutional provision under article 11(4), which requires two-year membership before qualification as parliamentary candidate.

While this could be done away with under exceptional circumstances, the party has advised against invoking that controversial discretion in this case.

Article 11(4) (I&II) state: ? No member shall be entitled to apply for nomination as the Party?s parliamentary candidate for any constituency unless he or she is (i) a known and active member for at least two (2) years: (ii) is a registered member and voter in the constituency which he or she seeks to present, provided that in appropriate cases the Constituency Executive Committee may dispense with this requirement,?

However to help his campaign the ruling NPP may not put up a candidate in the April 4 bye-election.

Pundits are expecting the NPP to rather support Prof Wayo Seini with the full party machinery.

Still the NPP is trying to play down the significance of the bye-election, which the NDC is expected to win. That would mean the NDC retaining all three by elections since 2005 seats they won in 2004.

Prof Wayo Seini has been ?fully accepted back into the NPP?, General Secretary, Nana Ohene Ntow told the Statesman over the weekend.

Nana Ohene Ntow said his member ship forms had been processed and forwarded to his constituency for the necessary action.

Sources close to the former MP say he is ?warming up? to the idea of standing as an independent candidate as the best workable compromise under the circumstances.

Prof Wayo Seini shocked his former party members when he announced, soon after he and his colleague Minority MPs returned to Parliament after a three week boycott that he was resigning from the party to find his ?way back home? to the NPP he left four years ago.

The Professor cited violence and lack of internal democracy as the reason for his resignation.