The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has explained why it cannot annul the Ayawaso East parliamentary primary, after deciding to retain Mohammed Baba Jamal as its candidate for the upcoming by-election. The decision follows allegations of vote buying during the primary held on Saturday, February 7, which Baba Jamal has consistently denied. A three-member committee set up by the party investigated the claims of inducement and submitted a report that guided the party’s position.
Addressing the press on Tuesday, February 10, NDC General Secretary Fifi Kwetey outlined several constraints that made annulment impractical. He pointed to time limitations, noting that the Electoral Commission is set to close nominations for the by-election on Wednesday, February 11, leaving the party with little opportunity to restart the process.
Mr. Kwetey also referenced legal and constitutional issues, explaining that the party’s constitution does not provide for the annulment of parliamentary primaries under such circumstances.
He added that the investigative committee recommended annulment despite these constraints:
“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.
“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,” he said.
Mr. Kwetey further disclosed that the NDC plans to expand the investigative committee as part of broader internal reforms aimed at strengthening party processes:
“We’re going to do a comprehensive review of the whole process that lead to our internal elections. We’re expanding the committee by adding four more members, to make it a 7-member committee, so that they come out with recommendations to deal with this inappropriate canker as far as the elections are concerned,” he said.
The General Secretary explained that these considerations collectively guided the party’s decision to retain Baba Jamal as its parliamentary candidate for the Ayawaso East by-election. He further noted that the committee had identified inappropriate conduct among all the contestants, highlighting the need for reforms to safeguard the integrity of future internal elections. The NDC has since reaffirmed Mohammed Baba Jamal as its candidate as preparations advance for the Ayawaso East by-election.
Source: Leticia Osei
