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Politics of Monday, 26 March 2012

Source: GNA

Two communities clash over biometric voter’s registration exercise

About ten people are reported injured in Arigu and Guborigu near Pwalugu in the Talensi Nabdam District of the Upper East Region as result of a disagreement over the biometric voter’s registration exercise.

In addition six houses including food stuff were burnt while roads were blocked, making it difficult for movements of people.

This came to light when the Regional Minister, Mr Mark Woyongo, the Member of Parliament for Talensi-Nabdam, Mr John Akolgo Tia and District Chief Executive, Mrs Vivian Anafo visited the communities to ascertain the situation.

Geographically, the Arigu and Guborigu communities are in the Northern Region but it is near to the Upper East Region and have since 1992 been exercising their franchise in the Talensi-Nabdam constituency.

When officials of the Electoral Commission (EC) came to conduct the biometric voter’s registration for the two communities, the Arigu community drove them away.

This led to the clash as the Guborigu Community did not understand why they should be prevented from partaking in the exercise.

The Regional Minister appealed to the communities to remain calm whilst the Regional Security Council and that of the Northern Regional Security Council find amicable solution to the problem.

He warned that government would not sit down aloof for people to take the law into their own hands and would deal drastically with anybody who would abuse the law.

Mr Jacob Kamzoni Mbah the son of the Chief of Arigu explained that he had made several appeals to the EC that the two communities were not part of the Upper East and demanded to be part of the Northern to no avail.

Meanwhile the injured persons have been sent to both the Bolgatanga Regional and the Tamale Regional Hospitals for treatment.**