Politics

Ayawaso East by-election: Five NDC aspirants to face vetting today

The National Democratic Congress (NDC) will on Wednesday, January 28, 2026, vet five aspirants seeking to contest the Ayawaso East parliamentary seat on the party’s ticket ahead of the upcoming by-election.

Among those expected to appear before the vetting committee are Hajia Amina Adam, the widow of the late Member of Parliament, Mahama Naser Toure, and Ghana’s High Commissioner to Nigeria, Mohammed Baba Jamal Ahmed. Both aspirants submitted their nomination forms on Tuesday.

The other contenders are the party’s Ayawaso East Constituency Chairman, Mohammed Ramme; Dr. Yakubu Azindow; and Najib Mohammed Sani.

Speaking to Citi News on Tuesday, January 27, the Deputy Director of Elections of the NDC, Tanko Computer, outlined the processes leading up to the party’s primaries, stressing that vetting will be followed by balloting and a grievance resolution stage.

“We will be vetting the five of them and then proceeding with the balloting. After that, if there is any aggrieved candidate, the aggrieved committee will sit to hear that. There are four men and a lady,” he said.

Mr. Tanko further explained that the party intends to conclude all internal processes early to allow adequate preparation for the primaries scheduled for February 7, 2026.

“We want the committee to sit, if there is a need, so that we conclude the process of the vetting and balloting, then we proceed with the printing of the ballot papers for the EC to conduct a primary for us on February 7, 2026,” he added.

The NDC primary has been necessitated by the death of the sitting Member of Parliament for Ayawaso East, Naser Toure Mahama, who passed away on January 6, 2026, after a period of illness.

The late MP was a four-term legislator who first entered Parliament in 2013 on the ticket of the NDC. He was 60 years old and hailed from Kue in the Nkwanta South District of the Oti Region.

Following his demise, the Electoral Commission announced that a by-election will be held in the Ayawaso East Constituency on Tuesday, March 3, 2026, paving the way for renewed political contest in the area as parties position themselves to fill the vacant seat.