2024 Polls: Haruna Iddrisu Deserves Showdown

The Member of Parliament for Tamale South Constituency, Hon. Haruna Iddrisu has taken the good people of Tamale South Constituency for granted for the past nineteen (19) years and still counting.

The member of Parliament for the Constituency won the seat since the formation in 2004 from Gukpegu/Sabongida Constituency which the late Hon. Alhaji Mustapha Ali Iddris was the member of Parliament from 1996 to 2004 with a tremendous level of developmental projects under his reign.

However, after he lost the seat to the current MP and former Minority leader of parliament, the level of development in the Constituency has dwindled and it continues at a snail’s pace with no hope.

Without any shred of doubt, the late Hon. Alhaji Mustapha Ali Iddris brought massive developmental projects in the area of good drinking water, roads, and electricity to the advantage of the people.

Unfortunately, many people are silent in the Constituency with disappointment with regards to the leadership style of the member of Parliament for the lukewarm attitude towards the teething challenges/problems faced by the constituents from the lack of good drinking water, poor road network, lack of support to youth, especially brilliant but needy students.

Fast forward, the Constituency is among the top twenty(20) densely populated Constituencies across the Country with over one hundred thousand registered voters who continued to vote yet no massive development in return.

Disgustingly, Tamale South Constituency is saddled and bedeviled with a lot of problems which continue to exacerbate due to the member of Parliament’s lack of resourceful and effective leadership to remedy or guarantee lasting solutions to them with the supposed “power and influence” attributed to him as “Gangdu” with no competitor.

Recently, some community members in the Constituency expressed their anger and disappointment with him for the total neglect with demonstrations to drum home their demands for the lack of good drinking water, and bad roads since he had taken the Constituency for granted.

What’s fascinating is the fast pace of development in other Constituencies with first-time MPs showing remarkable leadership in the areas of providing good drinking water, electricity, good roads, building Chip compounds, recreational facilities, classroom blocks, women and youth empowerment, etc.

Some of them went further through the setting up of Educational funds to help brilliant but needy students, providing job opportunities, women empowerment through the provision of hair dryers, and sewing machines, and others involved in soap making to earn a living.

Quite disturbing, Hon. Haruna Iddrisu can’t boast of the above-named life-changing and basic needs of the good people of Tamale South Constituency. This is unacceptable since the first time MPs have demonstrated impeccable leadership as a representative of the people in their Constituencies in the Northern Region.

Furthermore, some electoral areas in the Constituency where the MP continues to benefit i.e Kakpagyili, Fooshegu, Kootigli, Lahagu, Wamali, Dungu, Bamvim, and others can’t boast of good drinking water, good roads, etc yet he described himself as “Gangdu” with all the powers both within and outside.

For clarity, the members of parliament in Ghana’s parliament are there to make laws and make decisions in the interest of their constituents, the same way they are engaged in all manner of promises to garner votes in parliamentary elections.

Back to the meat of the issues raised, Hon. Haruna Iddrisu has performed abysmally for close to twenty years as a representative of the people with his party in power from 2009 to 2016 as minister for Employment and Labour Relations, Trade and Industry to Communications.

With the above, he could have utilized his powers to lobby for more development to the benefit of the people but he automatically failed woefully to deliver to the satisfaction of the people who are silently crying with deep pain.

In conclusion, the Constituency needs a new paradigm shift to bring back hope to pave the way for developmental projects. He has taken the good people for granted and the time has come for him to be shown the exit door for a development-oriented leader to take the mantle of leadership.