Baba Jamal Saga: See the NDC MPs Who Approved Call for Cancellation of Ayawaso East Primary
- The Majority Caucus demanded that the National Democratic Congress Ayawaso East primary be annulled due to vote-buying allegations
- Some leading Members of Parliament serving as caucus chairpersons supported the call to disqualify those involved in any misconduct
- The Majority Caucus also called for a ban on any candidate who participated in the election and is found to be engaging in vote buying
The Majority Caucus of Parliament called on the Functional Executive Committee of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to annul the party's February 7, 2026, parliamentary primaries for the Ayawaso East Constituency.
This was after the uproar over claims of gift-giving by Baba Jamal, the victorious aspirant in the primary.
Source: Facebook
The caucus also demanded that all persons who are found to have engaged in the act be disqualified from contesting in the primaries.
GhanaWeb reported that all 16 caucus chairpersons unanimously approved the decision of the Majority Caucus, with a document bearing a list of the caucus leaders and their signatures.
The caucus leaders who approved the move included Alhaji Collins Dauda, the caucus leader for the Ahafo Region; James Agalga, the leader for the Upper East Region; and Alfred Okoe Bannerman Vanderpuije.
The full list of MPs is listed below:
- Alhaji Collins Dauda
- Muhammad Bawah Braimah
- Vincent Oppong Asamoah
- Queenstar Pokuah Sawyerr
- Joseph Appiah Boateng
- Alfred Okoe Bannennan Vanderpuije
- Bandim Abcdnego Azumah
- Alhassan Umar Northern
- John Bless Oti
- Andrew Dad Chiwitey Savanna
- James Agalga
- Sebastian Ngmenenso Sandaare
- Oscar Ofori Larbi
- Isaac Adjei Mensah
- Emmanuel Kwasi Bedzrah
- Dominic Napare.
What happened during Ayawaso East NDC primary?
During the NDC parliamentary primary in the Ayawaso East Constituency, delegates were seen receiving items, including 32-inch television sets.
The TVs were given to delegates by Jamal, but he denied that it was meant to sway voters in the election, which had four other candidates, some of whom are also accused of the same kind of vote buying.
He ended up winning the election by just 32 votes, defeating Hajia Amina Adam, the widow of the MP whose death necessitated a by-election in Ayawaso East.
Jamal won with 431 votes, followed by Adam and Mohammed Ramne, who got 399 votes and 88 votes, respectively.
Dr Yakubu Azimdow and Najib Sani polled 45 and 1 votes, respectively.
Ayawaso East: NDC probes vote-buying allegations
The NDC has formed a three-member committee to probe the vote-buying allegations.
The committee is expected to submit its report on February 10, after which the party will take decisive action against the vote-buying.
Following the primary, President John Mahama recalled Jamal from his role as High Commissioner to Nigeria pending the outcome of the investigation.
While recalling High Commissioners who try to enter Parliament is normal, the presidency noted the vote-buying claims as a major concern in a statement posted on Facebook.
The Office of the Special Prosecutor, in a post on Facebook, announced investigations into the alleged vote-buying and corruption during the Ayawaso East parliamentary primary and the New Patriotic Party (NPP) presidential primary on January 31.
Source: Facebook
Special Prosecutor's officer attacked
Earlier, YEN.com.gh reported that the Office of the Special Prosecutor had alleged that Jamal's camp had incited an attack on its officer.
The officer, who was monitoring the Ayawaso East primaries, was reportedly assaulted while delivering a directive over alleged vote-buying.
Proofreading by Bruce Douglas, copy editor at YEN.com.gh.
Source: YEN.com.gh
