Democracy Hub has filed a suit at the High Court seeking to stop the Ayawaso East by-election, citing alleged vote buying during the National Democratic Congress (NDC) parliamentary primaries held on February 7, 2026. The suit names the NDC as the first defendant, the Electoral Commission (EC) as the second, and the Attorney-General as the third. As part of its reliefs, Democracy Hub is asking the court to nullify the EC’s recognition of Mr. Jamal as the NDC candidate and to restrain the Commission from accepting or acting on his nomination until a fresh primary is conducted in line with democratic principles.
The group specifically seeks “an order of mandamus directed at the 2nd Defendant to refuse to accept or act upon the nomination of the said candidate unless and until a primary conducted in accordance with democratic principles is held.” Additionally, Democracy Hub is requesting a declaration that the NDC primary was marred by widespread vote buying, inducement, and monetisation, and that relying on its outcome to present a candidate violates Article 55(5) of the Constitution and Section 9 of the Political Parties Act, 2000 (Act 574).
“A declaration that the parliamentary primary conducted by the 1stDefendant for the Ayawaso East Constituency, having been found to have been characterised by widespread vote buying, inducement and monetisation, did not conform to the democratic principles required under Article 55(5) of the Constitution, and that the continued reliance on the outcome thereof and the presentation of a candidate founded on that process constitute actions contrary to and inconsistent with the Constitution in violation of section 9 of the Political Parties Act, 2000 (Act 574).”
Democracy Hub further argued that the party’s failure to address the alleged misconduct renders its actions inconsistent with constitutional and legal requirements. The controversy centres on Baba Jamal, the NDC parliamentary candidate, who has been accused of engaging in vote buying during the primaries. Mr. Jamal has consistently denied the allegations.
A three-member NDC committee investigated the claims and submitted a report that informed the party’s decision to uphold the primary results, citing legal requirements, constitutional provisions, and nomination deadlines set by the EC. The EC has scheduled the Ayawaso East by-election for March 3, 2026.
Source: Leticia Osei
