Baba Jamal Promises to Reset Ayawaso East After By-Election Victory
- Baba Jamal won the Ayawaso East by-election held on Tuesday, March 3, 2026, securing 63 per cent of the total valid votes cast
- The NDC candidate defeated contenders from the NPP and other parties to reclaim a seat in Parliament for the second time
- In his victory speech, Baba Jamal pledged peace, development and a new direction for Ayawaso East, particularly in Nima
- Nabil Abubakar, a member of the NPP in Ayawaso East, shared his views in an interview with YEN.com.gh
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) parliamentary candidate, Baba Jamal, has won the Ayawaso East by-election held on Tuesday, March 3, 2026.
The by-election was conducted to fill the vacancy created by the death of the Member of Parliament, Mahama Naser Toure, whose demise was announced on January 4, 2026.
Source: Facebook
At the close of polls, Baba Jamal was declared the winner of the by-election by the Electoral Commission (EC), defeating Baba Ali of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and Alhaji Umar Sanda, an independent candidate who defected from the ruling party.
YEN.com.gh monitored proceedings, where the NDC candidate polled 10,884 votes, representing 63 per cent, while Baba Ali obtained 4,009 votes, translating to 24 per cent.
Ibrahim Idrissu of the LPG Party secured 43 votes, Umar Sanda polled 1,885 votes, and Kanor David, an independent candidate, received 104 votes.
A total of 16,928 valid votes were cast, with 120 rejected ballots, bringing the total votes cast to 17,048.
Baba Jamal promises reset in Ayawaso East
Delivering a victory speech after his declaration as the MP-elect for Ayawaso East, Baba Jamal said his election marks a new beginning, adding that he will rewrite the history of the constituency.
"From today, we are going to rewrite the history of Ayawaso East. In the market, in the streets, in the ghettos, in the bases, there is going to be a new Ayawaso East. And that is why I am here: to pursue that mission," he said.
"To ensure that we rebrand Ayawaso East, especially Nima, with a new face of peace, development and professionalism. In Shaa Allah, we shall achieve that. Thank you," he added.
Watch the Facebook video below:
He further expressed gratitude to God, his family, and executives of the NDC, including President John Mahama, for their support.
also promised a reset in the constituency, saying he would work hard to bring development to Nima and its environs and ensure they see a facelift.
"I want to assure the people of Ayawaso East that the resetting of Ayawaso East starts now. We are coming to reset the whole constituency and ensure that what Ayawaso East deserves comes to pass," he stated.
Baba Jamal's victory in the Ayawaso East parliamentary by-election marks the second time he will be returning to the Parliament of Ghana.
Baba Jamal's first stint as MP
In 2012, he was elected as the MP for Akwatia in the Eastern Region of Ghana, winning the seat for the first time for the NDC.
However, Baba Jamal served for only one term after losing his second-term bid to the NPP's Mercy Ama Sey in 2016.
He was born in Akwatia but later moved to Nima, the heartbeat of the Ayawaso East constituency, at the age of 13 to live with his uncle.
Per Article 94 of the 1992 Constitution of Ghana, one can contest to become an MP if the person hails from that constituency through ancestral or family roots, or has resided in the constituency for a total of at least five years within the 10 years immediately preceding the election.
This means that he can become an MP in either Akwatia in the Eastern Region or Ayawaso East in the Greater Accra Region.
Baba Jamal is a lawyer by profession and a former Deputy Minister for Local Government and Rural Development under the John Mahama administration between 2013 and 2017.
In 2025, he was named Ghana's High Commissioner by President Mahama, a position he was later relieved of for allegedly engaging in vote-buying in the NDC Ayawaso East parliamentary primary.
He holds an MPhil in International Politics and a degree in Law from the University of Ghana and was called to the Bar in 2015.
NPP member disappointed with Ayawaso East outcome
Reacting in an interview with YEN.com.gh, Nabil Abubakar, a member of the NPP, expressed disappointment over his party's failed effort to win the seat.
"We went into this election with the hope that, for the first time, the people of Ayawaso East would give the NPP a chance, but that has not happened, and I am disappointed," he said.
He, however, urged the MP-elect to honour his promises to the people of Ayawaso East.
"Baba Jamal's landslide win is a strong statement of confidence in the NDC's vision for Ayawaso East. Reclaiming the seat with a significant 63% of the votes shows the party's stronghold in the area. His pledge for peace, development, and a new direction would be music to constituents' ears," he added.
"Let's see how this translates into tangible progress, especially in areas like Nima and 441, which seem to be the most deprived in the Ayawaso East constituency. It's surprising that, despite the massive support the NDC enjoys in the constituency, they have done very little, or next to nothing, to uplift the area and improve the lives of the youth," he said.
Source: Facebook
NDC sacks Umar Sanda for going independent
Meanwhile, YEN.com.gh reported that the NDC had expelled Umar Sanda after he chose to contest the Ayawaso East by-election as an independent candidate.
The politician, who is a long-serving grassroots mobiliser and former Assemblyman in Nima, has a long history of political shifts, having once been with the NPP.
Proofreading by Bruce Douglas, copy editor at YEN.com.gh.
Source: YEN.com.gh
