It involves two professors, two PhD holders, three Hajias, two lawyers and three others.

It is an internal contest, but very likely to be the competition that will decide Tamale Central’s next MP.

It is the National Democratic Congress (NDC) parliamentary primary, in the constituency that has become a major stronghold of the party.

The Tamale Central Constituency is set for a historic showdown today as three females go head-to-head with nine males in the NDC parliamentary primary.

While it is only a party primary, it takes on significant importance because of the near certainty that the victor will be elected into Parliament in the September 30 by-election, given the NDC’s stranglehold over the constituency and the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP’s) decision not to contest the by-election.

Preparations

A total of 1,555 delegates are expected to cast their ballots to elect the party’s candidate at the Aliu Mahama Sports Stadium today.

The NDC Northern Regional Director of Elections and Information Technology, Dr Anorld Mashud Abukari, said all was set for today’s event.

He said electoral materials and other arrangements had been made to ensure an incident-free exercise.

He added that a team of 250 security personnel had been deployed to monitor the exercise.

High stakes

The high-stakes contest presents an opportunity for women to break the constituency’s long tradition of male dominance in parliamentary representation.

With the women stepping boldly into the arena determined to shatter stereotypes, the contest takes on an interesting profile.

The three female aspirants — Hajia Mariama Naama Salifu, a diplomat; Hajia Mulaika Salisu, a businesswoman, and Hajia Shamima Yakubu, the NDC’s Northern Regional Treasurer — have injected a new dimension into the primary.

The last time a female joined the contest was in 2014.

The weeks of campaigning comes to an end today as the 12 aspirants brace up to know their fate in what has been mixed feelings towards the contest.

The competition was occasioned by the tragic demise of the Member of Parliament (MP), Alhaji Dr Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed, in the August 6 helicopter crash in the Ashanti Region.

But as the nation deals with the tragedy, today’s contest comes as one of the necessities.

The men in the race are running on records of long-standing loyalty to the party and the promise of resources to strengthen the NDC’s base.

They include Dr Abdul-Rahaman Abdul-Rashid, a medical doctor; Aliu Abdul-Hamid, a civil engineer; Prof. Razak Abubakari, a Senior Lecturer at Tamale Technical University, and Alhaji Alhassan Nbalba, a former Chairman of the NDC-UK/Ireland Chapter.

The rest are Sadat Haruna Alhassan, a lawyer; Alhassan Osman Gomda, an entrepreneur; Dr Seidu Mohammed Fitter, Lecturer at University for Development Studies; Prof. Seidu Mahama Alidu, a former Head of the Department of Political Science of the University of Ghana, and Abdul Hanan Gundadow, a lawyer and former Chief Executive of the Tamale Metropolitan Assembly.

Campaings

Interacting with delegates, Hajia Shamima said she was not in the contest to make up the numbers but to win and continue the good works of the now deceased MP.

She pledged to work hard to transform the constituency, particularly to champion the interest of women and children.

For her part, Hajia Mariama pledged to use her influence as a diplomat to lobby for the development of the area.

She said as a diplomat, she was aware of the challenges confronting the youth and would work within her means to turn around their fortunes when given the nod.

Hajia Mulaika also pledged to work hard to consolidate the gains made by the late MP.

She said as a mother and grassroots person, she was committed to the development of the constituency.

History

The NDC Communication Officer for Tamale Central, Umar Abdul-Razak, said this was historic because the last time a female joined the contest was around 2014.

He said all the three female aspirants were very solid with good reputation and could pull surprises in the contest tomorrow.