Vice-President John Mahama has tasked the police and other security personnel at Chereponi to institute stringent measures to ensure a peaceful, violence-free bye election on Tuesday. Stressing that security agencies should be firm and resolute in dealing with all those who might try to foment trouble in the area, the Vice-President sternly warned those trying to smuggle in arms and ammunition to cause mayhem, to desist or face the wrath of the law. Speaking in Chereponi during a stop-over at on Saturday, as part of his four-day visit to the Northern Region, Mr Mahama asked that eligible voters should be allowed to go out and cast their ballots without any hindrance. He explained that the stop-over was to see at firs hand, measures that had been put in place to ensure an incident-free bye-election. The Chereponi seat, which became vacant on the death of the NPP Member of Parliament, Doris Asibi Seidu, is being contested by candidates from the National Democratic Congress, New Patriotic Party, People’s National Convention, New Vision Party and the Democratic People's Party. The Chereponi district, with a voter population of 26,000 and 55 polling stations, comprises three ethnic groups, Konkomba, Nanumba and Chokosi. When the Vice-President and his entourage got to the constituency in the afternoon, supporters of the contending political parties clad in their party T-shirts, were preparing for rallies, amidst chanting of party or candidates slogans in a peaceful manner. Smart traders, who had travelled from far to the constituency are making brisk business with the sale of the various party paraphernalia. Food vendors in the area had also cashed in to make some money . Vice-President Mahama told the people that the government had awarded on contract the Yendi Chereponi road, currently in bad shape to be constructed into a two-lane asphalt road. He disclosed that two separate credits totalling 300 million dollars had been secured under the rural electrification project for seven communities in the Saboba and the Chereponi districts to be connected to the national grid. Mr Mahama described the eastern corridor road project, as a priority of the government from Accra through Hohoe, Nkwanta, Damongo, Bimbilla, Chereponi and Bunkpurugu, as a priority of the government to be executed within its four-year term. The Vice-President expressed the government's condolences to the bereaved family of the late MP and reiterated the need for the election to be conducted in a peaceful manner. Prior to addressing the people of Chereponi, Vice-President Mahama called on the chief, Malba Jaminja Gumna IV, and pledged the government's commitments to addressing the challenges in the district's water, energy and road sectors. The chief thanked Mr Mahama for the visit and expressed the hope that the bye-election would be peaceful. Source: Times/Ghana