A member of the Communication Team of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Grace Akosua Amoabeng, has described the lawsuit filed by Democracy Hub to halt the Ayawaso East parliamentary by-election as a “good start,” but questioned the timing of the legal action.
According to her, while concerns about vote buying must be addressed, the pressure group should have initiated the process much earlier rather than waiting until the by-election date was close.
Democracy Hub filed a suit at the High Court in Accra on February 16, 2026, seeking to restrain the Electoral Commission of Ghana (EC) from proceeding with the Ayawaso East by-election scheduled for March 3, 2026.
The group alleges that the National Democratic Congress (NDC) parliamentary primary held on February 7, 2026, was marred by widespread vote buying, inducement and monetisation.
The controversy centres on the party’s candidate, Baba Jamal, who is accused of engaging in those practices.
Democracy Hub argues that the alleged conduct breaches Article 55(5) of the 1992 Constitution and Section 9 of the Political Parties Act, 2000 (Act 574), which require political parties to adhere to democratic principles.
Speaking on Joy Prime on February 17 and monitored by NewsDesksGH, Grace Amoabeng said vote buying has become entrenched in Ghana’s political culture.
“They started from sharing of spices and items and now they’ve graduated into sharing money. So it’s something that’s not going to stop easily.”
She noted that the lawsuit could spark reforms, but raised concerns over its late filing.
“Maybe this is a beginning to a good reform so let’s see the decision the court takes after it goes through all the processes”
She further questioned why Democracy Hub did not act immediately after the primary.
“Why did they wait for the party to confirm him, knowing very well that the election is on the 3rd of March, some few weeks away. Why did they wait? They should have started the process back then,”
“This is a good start but they should have done this but I believe the timing is wrong. The timing should have been way back when the whole issue started, not when the party has already concluded that this is the person we’re taking and the time is near.”
The High Court is yet to determine whether to grant the injunction to halt the March 3 by-election.
