A suit was filed on Monday, February 16, by the pressure group, Democracy Hub, challenging the Ayawaso East by-election. The group alleges vote-buying during the National Democratic Congress (NDC) parliamentary primaries held on February 7, 2026.
Democracy Hub has prayed the High Court to direct the Electoral Commission (EC) to conduct a fresh primary in accordance with democratic principles.
In the suit, the NDC is cited as the first defendant, the Electoral Commission as the second, and the Attorney-General as the third.
The suit further added, “An order of mandamus directed at the 2nd Defendant to refuse to accept or act upon the nomination of the said candidate unless and until a primary conducted in accordance with democratic principles is held.”
“A declaration that the parliamentary primary conducted by the 1st Defendant for the Ayawaso East Constituency, having been found to have been characterised by widespread vote buying, inducement and monetisation, did not conform to the democratic principles required under Article 55(5) of the Constitution, and that the continued reliance on the outcome thereof and the presentation of a candidate founded on that process constitute actions contrary to and inconsistent with the Constitution in violation of section 9 of the Political Parties Act, 2000 (Act 574).”
This development comes at a time when the EC has scheduled the Ayawaso East by-election for March 3, 2026. The by-election has attracted heightened attention in recent days amid internal developments within the NDC, including allegations of vote buying during its parliamentary primary.
Mr Baba Jamal Mohammed Ahmed won the Ayawaso East Constituency primary and is set to represent the NDC as its parliamentary candidate in the March 3 by-election, following the party’s internal primary held on February 7, 2026.
After the close of polls, provisional results showed that Baba Jamal polled 431 votes out of the total votes cast, followed by the widow of the late Ayawaso MP, Naser Toure Hajia Amina Adam who secured 399 votes. Mr Mohammed Ramne, the Ayawaso East NDC Constituency Chairman, placed third with 88 votes.
Dr Yakubu Azindow obtained 45 votes, while Mr Najib Mohammed Sani recorded one vote. The closely contested primary attracted more than 1,100 accredited delegates from across the constituency, reflecting the high stakes involved in selecting a candidate for the by-election in a seat widely regarded as a stronghold of the governing NDC.
Five aspirants contested the race: Hajia Amina Adam, Mr Baba Jamal, Dr Yakubu Azindow who had previously contested the late MP in the 2023 primary, Mr Mohammed Ramne, and Mr Mohammed Sani.
Although the race was initially considered open, it later narrowed into a tight contest among Mr Jamal, Hajia Amina Adam and Dr Azindow.
Even though the election was peaceful on Saturday, reports of vote buying emerged on the eve of the election and on election day, involving some candidates, including Baba Jamal, who at the time was Ghana’s High Commissioner to Nigeria and allegedly offered television sets and other items to delegates.
Videos circulating on social media showed some delegates leaving polling centres carrying television sets and other items.
Reacting to the vote-buying allegations, the NDC, in a statement signed by its Secretary, Fiifi Kwetey, announced that it would investigate the allegations. It noted that a three-member committee had been set up to probe the matter.
In a statement issued on the same day, the NDC said its national executives had taken note of what it described as widespread incidents of inducement and vote buying allegedly perpetrated by some aspirants.
The party condemned the acts, describing them as an affront to its values and principles, and announced that it had launched investigations into the matter.
“In line with the Party’s commitment to internal democracy, transparency, and ethical political conduct, the Committee will investigate the allegations and make appropriate recommendations, including sanctions where necessary,” the statement said.
The Presidency has announced the recall of Ghana’s High Commissioner to Nigeria, Baba Jamal, over voter inducement during the just-ended Ayawaso East primaries held on Saturday, February 7.
In a statement titled “President recalls Ghana’s High Commissioner to Nigeria,” shared by the Spokesperson to the President, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, and dated February 7, it noted that “President John Dramani Mahama has directed the immediate recall of Mohammed Baba Jamal Ahmed (Baba Jamal) from his position as Ghana’s High Commissioner to the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The decision follows allegations of voter inducement during today’s National Democratic Congress (NDC) primaries in the Ayawaso East Constituency, in which Mr Baba Jamal, a candidate, participated.”
The President stressed that reports of vote buying were made against several candidates seeking to win the Ayawaso East seat, but Baba Jamal stood out because he was the only serving public officer at the time, making his case a peculiar one.
“In his directive to the Minister for Foreign Affairs recalling Mr Baba Jamal as High Commissioner, the President noted that while allegations of vote-buying were made against multiple candidates who contested the primaries, Baba Jamal was the only serving public officer among them.”
Consequently, to protect the integrity of public office and to avoid any public suspicion of misconduct or violation of the Government’s Code of Conduct for Political Appointees, the President stated:
“Without prejudice to the ongoing internal party processes, and strictly in view of the standards of conduct expected of public officers, the President considers it necessary to act decisively to preserve the integrity of public office and to avoid any perception of impropriety or conflict with the Government’s Code of Conduct for Political Appointees.”
The statement continued that “the recall takes effect immediately, and the Minister for Foreign Affairs has been directed to take the necessary administrative and diplomatic steps to give effect to this directive.”
