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There were sporadic gunshots at the weekend during the Regional Delegates� Congress of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) held at the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) hall in Tamale, the Northern Regional capital. The shooting, which was carried out by soldiers at the event, aimed at warding off unaccredited persons who accompanied the Regional Chairman, Sofo Awudu Azorka, in a long convoy to the venue and tried to force their way into the main yard where the congress was taking place. The group, mostly made up of the party�s youth, engaged in a fierce brawl with the military until they were completely kept at bay by the armed soldiers, who threatened to deal with any deviant youth who dared test their patience. Subsequently, they fired several shots into the air to disperse the unaccredited persons who would not budge. According to some of the youth, the party was not aware of the presence of the armed soldiers, saying it was at the instance of some unnamed persons to intimidate voters. Even with the strict instructions that unaccredited persons should not enter the yard, DAILY GUIDE spotted a number of them in the hall who were neither delegates nor observers, chanting victory songs in support of the regional chairman. A number of hiccups also characterised proceedings in the hall during the voting, halting the process for about fifteen minutes. Wee Smokers Arrested Midway the voting which began at about 4:30 pm, three supporters of the party were arrested at the back of the main auditorium for smoking dry substances suspected to be Indian hemp. The three paddies, who had gone to the scene apparently to �feel high,� were seen puffing thick smoke from their nostrils, hissing and passing on the lighted wrap to one another. Unknown to them their conduct was being closely monitored. A team of military personnel immediately pounced on them and subjected them to severe beatings amidst pouring of water on their heads to make them �feel low� from the high state they were seeking to ascend. They were immediately handcuffed and taken into police custody pending the next line of action, according to the Northern Regional Police Public Relations Officer (PRO), ASP Ebenezer Tetteh. By Sunday morning, he disclosed that the three were still in custody, but indicated that they might be processed for court on the charge of possessing narcotic drugs without authority. Daily Guide however gathered that the Northern Regional Police Command was being pressured by the leadership of the NDC to release the suspects. 2 Positions Not Contested The General Secretary, Johnson Asiedu Nketia, indicated that two of the positions that were in dispute in court would not be contested. According to him, issues pertaining to the contest for the positions of secretary and treasurer were pending before a Tamale high court and until the injunction was lifted, there was nothing the party could do about it. The NDC chief scribe hinted that the region might risk going to the National Delegates� Congress without a substantive General Secretary and a Treasurer if measures were not put in place to amicably resolve the case pending before the court.