ghana news 5 Battle for Ayawaso East NDC primary

The stage is now set for the election of a candidate to represent the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the Ayawaso East Constituency parliamentary primary following the successful vetting of five out of the six aspirants who picked forms to contest the party’s primary scheduled for February 7.

They are Hajia Amina Adama, widow of the late Member of Parliament (MP), Mahama Naser Toure; Ghana’s High Commissioner to Nigeria, Baba Jamal Mohammed Ahmed; a previous contestant, Dr Yakubu Azindow; Mohammed Ramne and Najib Mohammed Sani.

The five aspirants who went through the vetting process yesterday at the Greater Accra Regional Office also balloted for positions on the ballot paper for the primary.

Mohammed Ramne took the number one position on the ballot paper; Hajia Amina Adam number two; Baba Jamal number three; Dr Azndow picked the fourth position and Mohammed Sani took the fifth position.

The balloting was the final process for the constituency parliamentary primary to elect a candidate for the party in the March 3 by-election.

However, one of the aspirants, Mohammed Abdul Salam, who had picked nomination forms earlier, withdrew from the race and declared his support for the widow of the late MP, Hajia Amina Adam.

Mr Salam said his decision to step down was taken after consultations with the party’s leadership and in recognition of Hajia Amina Adam’s commitment to youth empowerment.

He told journalists that he would actively campaign for the late MP’s widow ahead of the party’s primary.

Hajia Amina Adam will now face four male contenders, including Baba Jamal and Dr Azindow, both of whom previously contested the party’s parliamentary ticket against the late MP in the 2024 general election.

The NDC parliamentary primary for the 2024 general election held in 2023 was won by the late MP, Naser Toure, who polled 452 votes representing 44.93 per cent to defeat his two other contestants, Baba Jamal, who secured 309 votes representing 30.72 per cent and Dr Azindow, who obtained 242 votes representing 24.06 per cent in the last contest.

With Baba Jamal and Dr Azindow giving the nod to contest the February 7 primary, some supporters of the NDC believe the contest for the ticket of the party would be between the two previous contestants and the widow of the late MP, Hajia Amina Adam.