Yendi, May 2, GNA- Alhaji Malik Alhassan Yakubu, the Second Deputy

Speaker of Parliament, has been retained as the New Patriotic Party

(NPP) parliamentary candidate for Yendi constituency for the 200

Election. Alhaji Yakubu, who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for the

area since 1996, polled 41 votes out of the 64 votes cast at the primaries

held on Thursday in Yendi to defeat three other contestants. Hajia Samata Gifty Bukari polled 20 votes, Mr Abdul Husseini Ishaq

polled two votes and Mr Majeed Bawa had one vote. In all 67 delegates from 57 polling stations including 10 executives of

the party, registered to vote but two of them were absent from the

balloting. Alhaji Musah Tuferu, a chairman of Islamic propagation polling

station, one of the delegates could not take part in the election because

he was involved in a motor cycle accident. He was transferred from the Yendi Government Hospital to the

Tamale Teaching Hospital before the elections commenced when his

condition became critical. A member of the party, Alhaji Hammed Abubakari Kooms, who

represented Alhaji Malik at the primaries, expressed the parliamentary

candidate's appreciation to the delegates for voting for him. Alhaji Kooms urged the people to rally behind Alhaji Malik to enable

him to retain the seat and to ensure victory for the party in the 2008

Election. Alhaji Kooms reminded the people that the MP had worked hard to

improve education, roads, health, and agriculture among others in the

constituency. Mr Faisal Gbandeli, the Acting Regional Secretary of the NPP, urged the supporters to unite to ensure victory for the party in December. He asked them to tolerate each other and refrain from making

provocative statements that could divide them. Present at the election were the Yendi Municipal Chief Executive,

Alhaji Mohammed Habib Tijani and representatives of National

Democratic Congress (NDC), Convention People's Party (CPP)), People's

National Convention (PNC), and Democratic Freedom Party (DFP). The party representatives issued solidarity messages and called for

peace and unity among all the political parties in the constituency during

the 2008 Election. The election was conducted by the Electoral Commission and

supervised by the Municipal Electoral Officer, Mr John Mensah.