The King of Gonjaland worried over the tensions being created in the Savannah region by disagreements between the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
Yagbonwura Tutumba Sulemana Boresa I raised these concerns at a closed-door meeting with members of the Savannah Regional Security Council and the leadership of the two parties.
This follows violent clashes at some of the polling stations in the capital, Damongo, caused by disagreements over the ongoing registration exercise, which has left several people injured since the it began.
It is believed that non-residents of the region are being bussed from other parts of the country to Damongo to register.
Joy News sources at the palace report that the Yagbonwura directed both parties to settle their differences and ensure an end to the violence at the registration centres.
The Chairman of the Savannah Regional Security Council, Salifu Adam Braimah who was present at the meeting lauded Yagbonwura for his tough stance in ensuring sustainable peace between the NPP and NDC in the area.
He advised the leadership of both parties and individuals to allow the electoral laws to guide their conduct at the registration centres.
Mr Braimah sounded a word of caution to all players saying "the laws will be implemented to the fullest in this region."
The Savannah Regional Security Council Chairman has promised to deal with any recalcitrant behaviour at the registration centres as the law demands.
"The police commander is here, we will talk to the two parties, we are not going to allow the peace in Savannah to be disturbed." He stated emphatically.
The Member of Parliament for Damongo Constituency, Adam Mutawakilu who was part of the meeting also commended the Yagbonwura for his bold stance, but said the only solution is to stop bussing non-residents of that constituency into the region to register.
"We met the King and the finality is that, we the political parties should sit down and see how to resolve our differences for the registration to go on. We expect that after this meeting, the political parties will meet and decide".
“Because as a political party, if you know that somebody is not resident here or is not from this place and you use financial inducement just to bring the person to register, the law doesn't permit that.
"As much as possible, we will challenge anybody we suspect is a non-resident who has come to the registration centres from another region to register," the MP cautioned.
But the Savannah Regional Chairman of NPP, Iddrisu Sulemana disagrees, stating that nobody has the right to stop anybody from coming into Damongo to register.
"Yes, our meeting with the King was about the registration and the law says that if you see a suspicious character in your community, you are supposed to report that fellow to the EC so that they give you a challenge form to challenge that fellow.
"But if you decide to be arresting people who are coming to Damongo or are coming to the polling stations to register you have taken the law into your own hands. The policemen are there, the army, the security is there. That's their job," Mr Iddrisu Sulemana added.
As to whether the parties had resolved to stop bussing people from coming to Damongo to register or not, he said, "Damongo belongs to everybody. It does not belong to any particular person. So nobody can stop anybody from coming to register."
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