'Hotter' candidate emerges to snatch Damongo seat from NDC/NPP

The Damongo Parliamentary seat that dangled between the National Democratic Congress and New Patriotic Party candidates is likely to go to a more sophisticated independent candidate with decades of local and global engagements, some constituents say.

According to them, "an international criminologist and security consultant who happens to have very extensive royal roots in Damongo shall emerge soon to deprive the NPP's Samuel Abu Jinapor and NDC's Adam Mutawakilu of the seat they are passionately battling over with money, philanthropic gestures and propaganda."

These opinion leaders and influencers in the new Savanna Region think that should David Tiki Dange contest the 2020 Parliamentary election in Damongo there is no way any of parties in the prevailing duopoly can win because "the people are simply tired of the NDC and NPP and would rather vote for a new candidate who is not only qualified but widely admired like Tiki".

Information is that Tiki, as he is affectionately called by some constituents, will contest but he has not officially announced his aspiration.

Sources close to Tiki say he may announce his interest and launch his campaign soon. But, they could not tell how soon.

The Damongo Parliamentary Seat since 1993 has been swinging between the NDC and NPP. From 1993 to 2000, the NDC held it; the NPP took it from 2001 to 2008; and, the NDC reclaimed it in 2012.

In the 2016 Parliamentary elections, the NDC's Mutawakilu again won with 11, 357 votes representing 62.06%. The NPP candidate had 6,945 representing 37.94%.

Determined to snatch the seat from the two times NDC MP for Damongo, Mr Jinapor started making serious inroads in the Damongo Constituency even before the creation of the Savannah Region and the subsequent naming of the regional capital as Damongo.

He has drilled boreholes, extended electricity to some deprived communities, constructed a footbridge leading to the Damongo cemetery, donated digging equipment to the Muslim community at Damongo to enable them easily dig graves for their departed ones, donated 100 vials of anti-snake venom to the Damongo hospital among others.

All these kind gestures are said to be aimed at winning the hearts of the people of the constituency and to prepare the ground for a fierce contest between him and the sitting NDC MP.

Efforts to reach Tiki has not been successful but his profile is very impressive to warrant the opinion of the constituents even though elections, as Dr Afari Gyan, the former Election Commissioner said are won at the polling stations.

Below is the profile of David Tiki Dange

Born in December 1972, David Tiki Dange, a Royal Native of Damongo in the Savanna Region is one of Ghana’s finest, most sophisticated and vastly experienced internationally esteemed Criminologist and Security Consultant.

Tiki’s integrity, intelligence, competence and diligence made him the most preferred while officer working with very high-profile personalities such as Her Excellency Susan Rice of the United States, His Excellencies Thabo Mbeki of South Africa, General Abdul Selami Abubakari of Nigeria, Benjamin Mkapa of Tanzania, Ghana’s Jerry John Rawlings, President Salva Kiir and his Vice Riek Machar of South Sudan among others.

The 2020 Independent Parliamentary Aspirant of the Damongo Constituency commenced his education at Presbyterian Primary School, Damongo, and obtained with Distinction his Ordinary and Advanced Level Certificates respectively at Damongo Secondary School and Navrongo Secondary School where he discovered and demonstrated his innate leadership potentiality as Entertainment Prefect.

He did his National Service at the Damongo Secondary School where he taught English Literature and Elective English.

Although qualified for the university, Tiki, instead, entered the Winneba Police Academy as a recruit/cadet. There, he served as the senior man of the squad of over 100 men and eventually emerged the overall best recruit/cadet. 

From the Academy, he was posted to the office of the Attorney General and Minister for Justice to serve as Head of Intelligence and Security from 1996-1997 before going to the National Police Headquarters, Panthers Unit as Head of Intelligence and Surveillance in 1998.

In 2000, he passed the United Nations S.A.T examination and was deployed to Kosovo immediately after NATO's bombardment. In Kosovo, though the youngest in the contingent, he was appointed "Team A" leader in the elite city of Gjakova.

Hinged on Tiki’s transformational leadership, he was recommended to the United Nations Headquarters in New York and after a competitive interview, he emerged the top candidate and was appointed the United Nations International Police Commander for Kosovo-Montenegro border. He handled immigration and customs duties as well until 2003 when he returned to Ghana.

Between 2003 and 2006, he did Advocacy at the Ghana School of Law and was adjudged the Best at the Moot Court. In 2008, he had another course in Advocacy at the Law Faculty of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in affiliation with Fordham Law School, New York after which, he enrolled in 2009 at Alliance Francaise for a Certificate Course in French language before accepting an appointment from the United Nations Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) and subsequently United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS). 

In Sudan, Tiki served as the Community Policing Coordinator. In South Sudan, he was the Acting State Advisor, Jonglei State; and had the honour and privilege of hosting the Susan Rice led United Nations Security Council for the inauguration of the Livestock Patrol Unit in Malou-Bor, Jonglei State, South Sudan. 

After another competitive interview in New York in 2011, he emerged the best candidate and was appointed the United Nations State Advisor to Eastern Equatorial State, Torit, South Sudan which, shares borders with Uganda and Kenya.

In 2012, he graduated from Fordham Law School and pursued a Certificate in Deutche (German) at Goethe Institute, Accra from 2013 – 2014 before obtaining a certificate in Criminology at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice from 2014 to 2016.

He retired voluntarily as State Advocate and Prosecutor in 2019.