Tain to Decide!

Voters in Tain constituency would go to the polls today, Friday January 2, to determine who would be sworn in as the next president of Ghana.

The Chairman of the Electoral Commision, Dr Kwadwo Afari-Gyan announced on Tuesday that the results from 229 out of the 230 constituencies gave Prof John Evans Atta Mills of the NDC 4,501,466 votes representing 50.13 per cent of total valid votes cast while Nana Akufo-Addo of the NPP garnered 4,478,411 votes representing 49.87 per cent.

Prof. Mills won in the Tain constituency during the first round when he obtained 16,211 votes, representing 50.7 per cent, while Nana Akufo-Addo got 14,935 votes representing 46.8 per cent. The remaining six candidates took the rest of the votes.

Earlier on Thursday, an Accra Fast Track High Court presided over by Mr Justice Edward Amoako Asante asked New Patriotic Party (NPP) to reroute its request to stop the final declaration of the Presidential Election Runoff results.

The New Patriotic Party (NPP) and Mr Mac Manu, Chairman of NPP, filed an ex-parte motion to stop the Chairman of the Electoral Commission (EC), Dr Kwadwo Afari-Gyan and the EC from declaring the final results of the presidential Election Runoff. They were represented by Mr Atta Akyea and Ms Irene Addo.

But Mr Justice Asante said the case was so important and of national interest and could destabilise the country that it could not be heard ex-parte.

He ruled: "I hereby order the plaintiffs/applicant to serve the writ of summons as well as the motion for the interim injunction on the NDC and Prof. John Evans Atta Mills - that is the interested parties.

"Plaintiff is to file it by 1000 am Friday and the defence is to be filed by Sunday, 4pm. "The said motion should be fixed for the fifth day of January, 2009."

The Tain District

The Tain District was one of the newly created Districts in June 2004, in the Brong Ahafo Region. It is situated at the North West of Sunyani (Regional Capital). It lies within latitudes 7 ½ and 8o 45` North and longitudes 2o 52` West and 0o 28` East. In terms of land area, Tain District covers 4,125 sq kilometers. Nsawkaw, the district capital is 18 miles from Wenchi, the capital of Wenchi Municipal which Tain was carved out.

The district shared common boundaries with Wenchi Municipal to the East, Jaman North to the West, Sunyani Municipal to the South and Berekum Municipal to the South West. It is also bounded by the Bole District of the Northern Region to the North East and La Cote d’Ivoire to the North West.

The location of the big towns like Debibi, Brodi, Seikwa and Badu are far away from the district capital, Nsawkaw, and nearer Districts like Berekum, Sampa and Sunyani deprive the district of the needed revenue as the big towns in Tain District transact business with these near by districts.