Ayawaso East by-election: Electoral Commission to hold poll on March 3
- The Ayawaso East parliamentary by-election has been scheduled for March 3, 2026
- Nominations opened from January 16 to February 11, requiring endorsements from local voters
- Filing fees set at GH¢10,000; reduced to GH¢7,500 for female candidates and persons with disabilities
The Electoral Commission will hold the parliamentary by-election in the Ayawaso East Constituency on March 3, 2026.
The commission has therefore opened nominations for prospective candidates seeking to contest the election.
Source: Facebook
Citi News reported that it said interested candidates are required to download nomination forms from the Electoral Commission’s website from Friday, January 16, 2026, to Wednesday, February 11, 2026.
Nominations will be accepted between the hours of 9:00 am and 12:00 pm, and from 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm on each of the stated days.
The commission further stated that a prospective candidate may personally submit the completed nomination forms or cause them to be delivered on his or her behalf by either the proposer or seconder of the nomination to the Returning Officer at the Ayawaso East Municipal Office.
“Each nomination form must be endorsed by two registered voters in the constituency, who will serve as proposer and seconder, and supported by eighteen additional registered voters who must assent to the nomination.”
The filing fee for the election is GH¢10,000.00 per Candidate. However, the filing fee for Female Candidates and Persons with Disabilities GH¢7,500.00
The by-election is being necessitated by the death of the Member of Parliament for Ayawaso East, Naser Toure Mahama, who passed away at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital after a period of illness on January 4, 2026.
The four-term MP held several key roles in Parliament, including Vice Chairman of the Energy Committee, and member of the Roads and Transport Committee, House Committee, and the Private Members’ Bills and Motions Committee.
Baba Jamal, other name pops up
Speculation around candidates for the Ayawaso East by-election picked up following the completion of the seven-day post-burial Muslim prayers for the late Ayawaso East Member of Parliament (MP), Naser Toure Mahama.
National Democratic Congress has started public discussions on finding a successor, with some proposing Baba Jamal Mohammed Ahmed, a former MP for Akwatia, as a suitable replacement.
Source: Getty Images
Others have put up Dr Yakubu Azindow's name as another possible replacement.
They both contested the last NDC parliamentary primary ahead of the 2024 election, with Mahama winning with 675 votes, while Baba Jamal Mohammed Ahmed got 525 votes, as against Dr Yakubu Azindow's 215 votes.
Recent by-elections in Ghana
Following the passing of the Akwatia MP, Ernest Kumi, the Electoral Commission oversaw a by-election that was held on September 2, 2025.
Another by-election was slated for September 30, 2025, in the Tamale Central Constituency, following the death of the MP for the area, Murtala Mohammed Ibrahim, creating another vacancy in Parliament.
Source: Getty Images
However, the Electoral Commission on September 23, 2025, declared Alidu Seidu Mahama as the MP-elect of the Tamale Central Constituency because he went unopposed.
Since the beginning of the Fourth Republic in 1993, Ghana has witnessed 35 by-elections across parliaments, which mostly favoured the ruling party.
What the constitution says about by-elections
According to Article 97 of the 1992 Constitution, a parliamentary seat is declared vacant on the following grounds:
- Upon dissolution of parliament
- Death or resignation of an MP
- If an MP is elected as Speaker of Parliament
- If an MP is expelled or removed from Parliament, disqualified or ineligible for election
- If an MP elected on a party ticket joins another party or becomes an independent member,
- Or if an independent MP later joins a party
Mahama mourns with late Ayawaso East MP’s family
YEN.com.gh reported that President John Mahama expressed deep sorrow over the passing of the late Ayawaso East MP, describing the loss as shocking and painful.
While commiserating with the bereaved family in Accra, the president admitted that the death of the legislator had come unexpectedly.
Source: YEN.com.gh
