The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has justified its decision to retain Mohammed Baba Jamal as its candidate for the upcoming Ayawaso East by-election, despite allegations of vote buying during the party’s parliamentary primary.
The decision follows the conclusion of an internal investigation into claims of inducement during the primary held on Saturday, February 7. Baba Jamal, who emerged winner of the contest, has consistently denied the allegations.
A three-member committee set up by the party to probe the claims submitted a report that ultimately shaped the NDC’s position. Addressing journalists on Tuesday, February 10, the party’s General Secretary, Fifi Kwetey, said several constraints made it impossible for the party to annul the primary.
According to Mr. Kwetey, time was a critical factor, as the Electoral Commission is expected to close nominations for the by-election on Wednesday, February 11. This, he explained, left the party with no practical opportunity to restart the primary process.
He further pointed to legal and constitutional challenges, noting that the NDC’s constitution does not make provision for the annulment of parliamentary primaries under the circumstances in question. He added that any attempt to annul the results could also trigger legal action from aggrieved parties.
Although the investigative committee recommended annulment in principle, Mr. Kwetey said it acknowledged the significant obstacles facing the party.
“The committee’s report is that ideally, we should have annulment of the primary. However, the committee acknowledges that there are real obstacles that make it difficult for us to do that. The party’s constitution doesn’t have a provision for annulment of the election,” he said.
“We are time-bound because we need to present a candidate to the EC on February 11, and there are legal challenges that could be mounted by whoever won. In light of that, the party has taken the recommendations, and we have no option but to present Baba Jamal as our candidate,” Mr. Kwetey added.
The General Secretary also announced plans to strengthen the party’s internal processes by expanding the investigative committee from three to seven members. The expanded committee will be tasked with conducting a comprehensive review of the party’s internal elections and proposing reforms to curb vote buying and other inappropriate practices.
“We’re going to do a comprehensive review of the whole process that led to our internal elections. We’re expanding the committee by adding four more members so that they come out with recommendations to deal with this inappropriate canker as far as the elections are concerned,” he said.
Mr. Kwetey disclosed that the committee found instances of inappropriate conduct involving all candidates who contested the primary, reinforcing the need for systemic reforms within the party.
Based on these considerations, the NDC has reaffirmed Mohammed Baba Jamal as its parliamentary candidate as it prepares for the Ayawaso East by-election.
