Politics

Baba Jamal eligible to contest Ayawaso East – Tanko-Computer

Deputy Director of Elections of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Rashid Tanko-Computer, says party rules allow Ghana’s Deputy High Commissioner to Nigeria, Mohammed Baba Jamal Ahmed, to contest the Ayawaso East parliamentary seat.

Speaking on TV3’s Ghana Tonight on Tuesday, January 27, 2026, Tanko-Computer dismissed claims that Baba Jamal’s current government role disqualifies him from participating in the party’s parliamentary primaries.

According to him, the NDC’s existing regulations governing internal elections do not prohibit government officials or High Commissioners from contesting parliamentary seats.

“The current regulation we are using to run the primaries does not talk about government officials or High Commissioners,” he said, adding that any decision requiring Baba Jamal to step aside from his diplomatic post rests with the government, not the party.

Baba Jamal, a former Member of Parliament, has declared his intention to contest the Ayawaso East seat following the death of the sitting MP, Naser Toure Mahama, and has since filed his nomination and proceeded on leave from his official duties.

Meanwhile, five aspirants are scheduled to be vetted on Wednesday, January 28, 2026, ahead of the NDC parliamentary primaries slated for February 7, 2026.

The aspirants include Hajia Amina Adam, widow of the late MP; Mohammed Baba Jamal Ahmed; constituency chairman Mohammed Ramme; Dr. Yakubu Azindow; and Najib Mohammed Sani.

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.