ghana news Ayawaso East By-Election: Candidates ballot for positions

The stage is set for the Ayawaso East Constituency parliamentary by-election, scheduled to take place on March 3, as five candidates completed the ballot process at the Electoral Commission’s (EC’s) Greater Accra Regional Office yesterday. 

The contestants, who are vying to occupy the vacant seat, have been assigned their positions on the ballot paper.

Leading the pack is Baba Jamal Mohammed Ahmed of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), who secured the top spot. He is followed by Ibrahim Iddrisu of the Liberal Party of Ghana (LPG), Baba Ali Yussif of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Mohammed Umar Sanda (Independent) and David Kanor (Independent), who rounds out the list.

The balloting process marks the final stage of the main election after the candidates filed their nomination forms last Wednesday.

All five candidates have expressed optimism of winning the seat to represent the people of Ayawaso East in Parliament.

Background

The Ayawaso East parliamentary seat became vacant following the unfortunate death of the NDC sitting MP for Ayawaso, Mahama Naser Toure, in the early part of last month.

Subsequently, the EC fixed the parliamentary by-election for Tuesday, March 3, 2026.

A statement from the EC that announced the vacant seat and the date for the by-election said it was in accordance with Article 112 (5) of the 1992 Constitution, as amended.

Article 112(5) of the 1992 Constitution, as amended, states that a by-election for a parliamentary vacancy must be held within 30 days after the vacancy occurs, or within 60 days if the vacancy falls within a specific period before a general election. It governs the timeline for filling seat vacancies in Parliament.