Ayawaso East By-Election: NDC Sacks Umar Sanda for Going Independent
- The NDC has expelled Umar Sanda after he chose to contest the Ayawaso East parliamentary by-election independently
- Sanda, who is a long-serving grassroots mobiliser and former Assemblyman in Nima, has a long history of political shifts
- The by-election followed the death of Mahama Naser Toure, with five other NDC aspirants cleared to contest the primary
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The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has sacked one of its long-standing members in the Ayawaso East Constituency, Alhaji Umar Sanda, from the party.
In a letter dated Tuesday, February 17, 2026, and signed by the General Secretary, Fifi Fiavi Kwety, the NDC stated that Sanda violated the party's constitution by applying to contest the forthcoming Ayawaso East parliamentary by-election as an independent candidate.
Source: Facebook
The letter read:
"By virtue of your decision to break ranks with the party and contest against the officially endorsed candidate of the NDC, you have, in accordance with the provisions of the party's Constitution, automatically forfeited your membership of the party with immediate effect."
Because he decided to contest the parliamentary by-election as an independent candidate, the NDC said Sanda had automatically ceased to be a member of the party.
"You are hereby notified that you are prohibited from using the party's name, logo, colours, insignia, symbols, or any other intellectual property or paraphernalia associated with the party in the course of your campaign or any related political activity," the letter added.
Read the NDC's dismissal letter to Sanda, as shared on Facebook, below:
Who is Umar Sanda?
Alhaji Umar Sanda is a long-serving grassroots mobiliser with strong youth support in Nima, having served as an Assemblyman in one of the electoral areas in the area for close to 30 years.
Aside from this, he was also a pioneering member of the NDC in the Ayawaso East Constituency, which comprises communities such as Nima, 441, and Kanda.
Following the NDC’s victory in the 2024 general elections, Sanda vigorously lobbied to be appointed as the Municipal Chief Executive of Ayawaso East.
However, he was unsuccessful, as the position went to Abdul Ganiyu Ibrahim.
Sanda's decision to part ways with the NDC is the second major rupture in his political journey.
In 2006, he aligned with Obed Asamoah in breaking away from the NDC to form the Democratic Freedom Party (DFP), before returning to the party before the 2008 elections.
What triggered the Ayawaso East by-election?
The Ayawaso East parliamentary seat became vacant following the death of the MP, Mahama Naser Toure.
The parliamentarian died on January 4, 2026, after a period of illness at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital in Accra.
He was buried on January 6, 2026, at the Madina Cemetery in Accra, in line with Islamic practices.
Subsequently, the Electoral Commission (EC) announced that a by-election would be held in the Ayawaso East Constituency to elect a new MP.
Following the EC's announcement, the NDC opened nominations for interested party members in the constituency to contest in the primary on February 7.
Five aspirants, including the wife of the late MP, filed their nominations to contest the NDC's primary, and all were cleared after a successful vetting.
The five aspirants in the NDC's Ayawaso East parliamentary primary were:
- Mohammed Rammie Alabi
- Hajia Amina Adams
- Baba Jamal
- Dr Yakubu Azindow
- Najib Muhammed Sani.
Umar Sanda initially declared his bid to contest the NDC primary but later opted to run as an independent candidate.
He has explained on several platforms that he could not contest because he lacked the resources to pay for the nomination forms and filing fee.
Source: Facebook
Baba Jamal wins NDC parliamentary primary
YEN.com.gh also reported that the National Democratic Congress had held its Ayawaso East Primary on February 7, 2026.
Baba Jamal Mohammed Ahmed, who is Ghana's High Commissioner to Nigeria, received the highest number of votes cast.
Ghanaians who followed the electoral process shared their varied thoughts on Baba Jamal becoming the region's new MP.
Proofreading by Bruce Douglas, copy editor at YEN.com.gh.
Source: YEN.com.gh
