Communications Team Member of the New Patriotic Party, Awal Mohammed, says if the parliamentary primary held by the National Democratic Congress in the Ayawaso East constituency is annulled, only the candidate who finished third would be eligible to contest again.
According to him, such an outcome would arise because the third-placed aspirant is the only one not on record to have openly distributed gifts during the election.
Speaking on Joy News on February 10 and monitored by NewsDesksGH, Awal Mohammed said the issues that emerged during the Ayawaso East primary were not new.
“What happened in Ayawaso East is something that is not new, if we’ll be honest to ourselves. Especially in a safe seat like Ayawaso East, and it happens almost everywhere,” he said.
He noted that what made the situation different was the sequence of events on election day and the public admission by Baba Jamal implying he distributed items to delegates.
“The only difference is the chronology of events and what happened on the D-day. For a candidate to even openly declare that indeed he gave gifts,” he added.
Awal Mohammed disagreed with reports suggesting Parliament could annul the election, noting that such a decision would effectively eliminate all aspirants except the one who placed third as they all engaged in some form of gift giving.
“When I saw the letter I was not very sure that indeed it was a release coming from Parliament. If Parliament will come and say ‘annul that election’, it means no one among them will qualify. It will be the person who placed third who will qualify because he is not on record to have given anything,” he stated.
He further alleged that the controversy surrounding the election was a deliberate attempt to block Baba Jamal Mohammed Ahmed from contesting the seat.
“The only thing is that they do not want Baba Jamal to contest. That’s the reason,” he claimed.
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) held its parliamentary primary in Ayawaso East on February 7, 2026, to select a candidate for the March 3 by-election, following the death of the sitting Member of Parliament, Mahama Naser Toure.
Baba Jamal Mohammed Ahmed, who was serving as Ghana’s High Commissioner to Nigeria at the time, emerged as the winner of the primary, followed by the widow of the late MP Hajia Amina Adam, Mohammed Ramne, Dr. Yakubu Azindow then Najib Mohammed Sani.
- Baba Jamal: 431 votes
- Hajia Amina Adam (widow of the late MP): 399 votes
- Mohammed Ramne (Constituency Chairman): 88 votes
- Dr. Yakubu Azindow: 45 votes
- Najib Mohammed Sani: 1 vote
However, the election has been overshadowed by allegations of vote-buying, with reports and social media footage showing the distribution of items including 32-inch television sets, cash and other goods to delegates.
In response to the allegations, President John Dramani Mahama recalled Baba Jamal from his diplomatic post, while the Majority Caucus in Parliament has called for the annulment of the election and the disqualification of any aspirants found guilty of unethical conduct.
The Office of the Special Prosecutor has since launched an investigation into the alleged electoral malpractice.
