Ayariga steps down from Ayawaso East vote-buying probe committee

Majority Leader Mahama Ayariga has withdrawn from the National Democratic Congress (NDC) committee investigating alleged vote buying in the Ayawaso East parliamentary primary, citing conflict with Parliament’s caucus position.

In a post on X on Sunday, Ayariga said his continued membership of the committee had become impractical after the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Majority Caucus in Parliament publicly called for the cancellation of the disputed primary.

“In view of the position taken by the Caucus of the NDC in Parliament regarding cancellation of the Ayawaso East primary, it has become untenable for me to serve on the Investigation Committee set up by the National Executive of the NDC,” he wrote. “I have therefore notified the party that a suitable replacement should be appointed.”

Ayariga was one of three members named by the party’s National Executive to probe allegations of inducement and vote buying during the Ayawaso East parliamentary primary held on February 7.

The committee is chaired by former Information Minister Kofi Totobi Quakyi, with lawyer Emefa Fugah as the third member.

His decision comes against the backdrop of a firm stance taken by the NDC Majority Caucus, which he leads in Parliament.

In a statement dated February 8, 2026, and issued on behalf of the caucus, Ayariga said MPs had taken note of “widely circulated allegations of vote buying” during the just-ended primary.

The caucus said it “strongly condemns these developments against the background of the agenda to reset the politics of this country,” arguing that the allegations undermine the party’s values and reform agenda.

After what it described as “extensive deliberations,” the caucus resolved to formally communicate to the party’s Functional Executive Committee that “the primary of the NDC organised in the Ayawaso East Constituency be annulled immediately.”

It further proposed that “any candidate who participated in the said primary and has been established to have engaged in this unethical conduct be banned from participating in the subsequent primary after annulment of the election,” stressing its commitment to “restoring integrity to our politics.”

The parliamentary caucus intervention followed an earlier statement by the party’s national leadership condemning alleged inducement during the contest.

In a February 7 statement signed by General Secretary Fifi Fiavi Kwetey, the NDC said its executives had been alerted to “widespread incidents of inducement and vote buying allegedly perpetuated by some aspirants.”

“The party vehemently condemns these actions in no uncertain terms as they represent an affront to the values and principles of the party and the reset agenda the party is championing,” the statement said, while announcing that the party had “immediately instituted a full-scale investigation into this matter.”

The Ayawaso East primary was organised to select a parliamentary candidate following the death of the sitting MP, Naser Toure Mahama, last month. Provisional results showed Baba Jamal polling 431 votes, narrowly ahead of Hajia Amina Adam, who secured 399 votes, with other contenders trailing.

The process, however, was overshadowed by reports that inducements were being offered to delegates, including allegations that television sets were distributed by the Baba Jamal campaign during polling.

Baba Jamal, Ghana’s Ambassador to Nigeria, has denied any wrongdoing, insisting in media engagements that his actions should not be misconstrued as vote buying.