EC ready for Ayawaso East by-election — EC Director

ALL is set for the Ayawaso East parliamentary by-election on March 3, 2026.

The by-election was triggered following the death of the sitting Member of Parliament (MP), Mahama Naser Toure, in January, while receiving treatment at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital.

Following the balloting on Thursday, February 12, 2026, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) parliamentary candidate Baba Jamal drew the top spot, while the Liberal People’s Party (LPP) candidate, Ibrahim Iddrisu, secured the second position.

Yussif Baba Ali of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) secured the third spot, with independent candidates Alhaji Mohammed Umaru Sanda and David Kannor drawing the fourth and fifth positions, respectively.

The results will determine who represents the Ayawaso East Constituency in Parliament.

A Director of the Electoral Commission (EC), Sam Dottoh Kwaah, told the Daily Graphic that the EC was well prepared for the by-election. 

Officials

He said all categories of officials for the by-election have been recruited, with training of the officials which begins today (Tuesday) and will continue until Friday, February 27, 2026.

He said two Biometric Verification Devices (BVDs) for each of the 113 polling stations had been prepared and delivered to the Constituency.

Notices

He said the Notices of Poll for the by-election had also been printed and sent to the constituency.

He said the printing of Ballot Papers and Statement of Poll and Declaration of Results Forms would also start on Tuesday, February 24, 2026.

Mr Kwaah said the EC was expecting a total of 49,966 registered voters to exercise their franchise during the by-election.

He said ⁠Ballot Papers would be sent to the Constituency by Saturday, February 28, 2026.

Past elections

In the 2024 parliamentary elections, Alhaji Toure secured 22, 139 votes, representing 70.85 per cent to win the seat, while the NPP candidate, Zak Rahman, garnered 9,110 votes, representing 29.15 per cent.

Alhaji Mahama garnered 23, 583 votes, representing 61.18 per cent, in the 2020 parliamentary elections as against the NPP’s Peter Kwame Antwi Mireku’s 14,966 votes, representing 38.82 per cent.

In the 2016 parliamentary polls, Alhaji Mahama secured 23,407 votes, representing 62.10 per cent, to beat NPP’s Mireku who had 13,599, representing 36.08 per cent. The Progressive People’s Party (PPP) candidate, Mohammed Ibrahim Bilal, polled 438 votes, representing 1.16 per cent, the Convention People’s Party (CPP) candidate, Abdul Ganiyu Shaibu, received 174 votes, and the People’s National Convention (PNC) candidate, Alhassan Abubakari, secured 72 votes.