Baba Jamal set for parliamentary comeback after Ayawaso East primary victory

Baba Jamal has won the National Democratic Congress’ (NDC’s) Ayawaso East parliamentary primary, positioning himself for a return to Parliament after emerging top in a keenly contested race.

Final provisional results released after the primary on Saturday showed Baba Jamal polling 431 votes to beat his closest challenger, Hajia Amina Adam, who secured 399 votes. Mohammed Ramne placed third with 88 votes, Dr Yakubu Azimdow polled 45 votes, while Najib Sani obtained one vote.

The victory marks a potential parliamentary comeback for Baba Jamal, Ghana’s current High Commissioner to Nigeria, who previously served as Member of Parliament for the Akwatia constituency.

His return to frontline electoral politics follows the vacancy created by the death of Ayawaso East MP, Naser Toure Mahama, last month.

The contest attracted significant public attention, particularly with the entry of Hajia Amina Adam, widow of the late MP. She had been widely tipped to win the primary by political analysts and pollsters, including Global InfoAnalytics, ahead of voting day.

However, the primary was overshadowed by reports of alleged voter inducement, with claims that television sets were distributed to some delegates by the Baba Jamal campaign. Confronted by journalists on the allegations, Baba Jamal rejected claims of wrongdoing and defended his actions.

“So if you give television set to the people, what is it? Is this the first time I’m gifting things to people?” he asked. “Most of you who know me know that every Christmas, every occasion I’ve put now 2.5 million to give loans to people.”

He added that accepting gifts should not be confused with compromised voting decisions. “If someone gives you gift you can take it, but allowing that gift to influence your vote is what is wrong,” Baba Jamal said.

Meanwhile, the National Democratic Congress has condemned reports of inducement linked to the Ayawaso East primary and announced plans to investigate the matter.

In a statement issued by the party’s national secretariat, the NDC said it had taken note of “widespread incidents of inducement and vote buying allegedly perpetuated by some aspirants.”

“The party vehemently condemns these actions in no uncertain terms,” the statement said, adding that a “full-scale investigation” had been initiated, with assurances of swift action against any individual found culpable.

The party also warned that future infractions could attract tougher sanctions, including the possible cancellation of internal elections, as it seeks to safeguard election integrity.