The ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) will maintain the outcome of its Ayawaso East parliamentary primary despite a probe finding that “inappropriate conduct” was exhibited by nearly all candidates, the party’s general secretary said Tuesday.
The NDC set up a committee to investigate allegations of vote-buying during the closely watched primary.
The accusations triggered public debate and scrutiny over internal party processes ahead of a pending by-election.
Presenting the committee’s conclusions, General Secretary Fifi Kwetey said the review found that “virtually almost all the candidates” engaged in conduct deemed inappropriate, though it could not conclusively establish vote-buying.
“The candidates were clear that what they did was in line with motivating their delegates, and we believe that was inappropriate,” Kwetey said.
He noted that while the committee ideally would have recommended an annulment of the primary, it concluded that significant legal and procedural constraints made that option impractical.
According to Kwetey, the party’s constitution does not provide for the annulment of internal elections. He added that the NDC was bound by time, as it must present a candidate to Ghana’s Electoral Commission by Wednesday.
“There could be legal challenges mounted by whoever won,” he said, warning that the party risked being unable to field a candidate if it reopened the process without clear constitutional backing.
“In the light of that… we have no option but to present Baba Jamal, who actually won the election according to the Electoral Commission,” Kwetey said.
Mohammed Baba Jamal Ahmed, a former deputy minister and ex-Ghana envoy to Nigeria, emerged winner of the primary. He has previously denied allegations of vote inducement.
The Ayawaso East seat became vacant following the death of the sitting lawmaker, prompting the Electoral Commission to schedule a by-election.
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