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Calm has returned to the Central Gonja District of the Northern Region, where two vigilante groups of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC), clashed on Thursday September 22, over the ongoing voters’ transfer exercise.

The NPP’s attempt to stop occupants of two mini buses suspected to be aliens imported from Damongo by the NDC, caused the clash, the district electoral Officer, Gariba Djampana-Jackob told Citi News. He said the exercise was halted with the EC offices closed down to avoid a bloodbath.

Gariba Djampana-Jackob narrated that, security reinforcement at the EC’s premises scared the rioters. He explained that, there is apathy in the transfer exercise for which reason the two major political parties are busing people to the district EC office.

He admonished the leadership of the political parties to renew their trust and collaborate with the EC to conduct free, fair and transparent elections on December 7. Gariba Djampana-Jacob bemoaned the early warning signals of political violence ahead of the December 7 polls and called for ceasefire.

“Violence will not solve electoral violence and I entreat leaders of political parties in this area to stop inflaming passions.”

The Yapei-Kusawgu constituency in Gonjaland has over 50,000 voter population and 142 polling stations. Deputy Minister for Power, John Jinapor, a first timer, is in the 2016 parliamentary race with the NPP’s fourth time parliamentary candidate, and a former District Chief Executive for Central Gonja, Yakubu Zakariah.