Cletus Seidu Dapilah wins Jirapa seat

Cletus Seidu Dapilah has won the Jirapa Constituency seat in the Upper West Region on the ticket of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) for the next four years.

He polled 25,175 votes to beat his lone contender, Mr Paul Derigubaa of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), who polled 9,366 votes, according to certified results by the Electoral Commission.

Out of a total voter population of 46,625, total votes cast stood at 35,563 with 34,541 being valid votes and 1,022 rejected.

Mr Dapilah, a former District Chief Executive, won the seat after defeating the incumbent Member of Parliament, Dr Francis Bawana Dakurah, during the NDC’s parliamentary primary.

Mr Derigubaa went independent in the 2012 General Election after losing the primary and won the seat from Dr Francis Bawana Dakurah, who represented the NDC then.

He, however, lost his second bid in 2016 as an independent candidate and had since crossed to contest on the ticket of the NPP but lost. The NPP has not won the seat since 1992.

Meanwhile, in the Presidential Election, Mr John Dramani Mahama, the NDC Presidential Candidate, polled 26,239 votes while President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo of the NPP polled 6,699 votes.