{"id":111910,"date":"2026-01-20T17:26:31","date_gmt":"2026-01-20T17:26:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=111910"},"modified":"2026-01-20T17:26:31","modified_gmt":"2026-01-20T17:26:31","slug":"i-will-contest-in-the-ayawaso-east-by-election-baba-jamal-confirms-following-mps-death","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=111910","title":{"rendered":"I will contest in the Ayawaso East by-election \u2013 Baba Jamal confirms following MP\u2019s Death"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class='booster-block booster-read-block'>\n                <div class=\"twp-read-time\">\n                \t<i class=\"booster-icon twp-clock\"><\/i> <span>Read Time:<\/span>2 Minute, 14 Second                <\/div>\n\n            <\/div><div>\n<p>Former Akwatia Member of Parliament Mohammed Baba Jamal Ahmed has officially entered the race for the upcoming Ayawaso East by-election, signalling a dramatic attempt to return to the legislature under the flag of the National Democratic Congress (NDC).<\/p>\n<p>The announcement comes just days after the Electoral Commission (EC) scheduled the by-election for Tuesday, March 3, 2026.<\/p>\n<p>The seat became vacant following the sudden passing of the veteran incumbent, Mahama Naser Toure, who died on January 4, 2026, after a brief illness.<\/p>\n<p>Baba Jamal, a legal practitioner and Ghana\u2019s ambassador to Nigeria, who previously served as the Deputy Minister for Local Government and Rural Development, is framing his candidacy as a homecoming, as he confirmed his plans on Asempa FM\u2019s Ekosiisen programme on Tuesday, January 20.<\/p>\n<p>Despite being famously associated with the Akwatia constituency in the Eastern Region, Baba Jamal was born and raised in Nima, the heart of the Ayawaso East district.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt is true. By God\u2019s grace, I will contest in the East Ayawaso [by-election]. I want to come and serve my people in Nima. I have really worked in the constituency and invested more resources there than anyone else,\u201d Baba Jamal stated.<\/p>\n<p>His assertion of having \u201cinvested more resources\u201d than his competitors is seen as an opening salvo in what is expected to be a competitive internal vetting process within the NDC.<\/p>\n<p>The late MP, Naser Toure Mahama, was a titan in Ayawaso East, having served four terms and recently securing a resounding victory in the 2024 general elections with over 70% of the vote.<\/p>\n<p>His death at age 60 left a significant vacuum in the NDC\u2019s \u201cstronghold\u201d within the capital.<\/p>\n<p>The EC has set the filing fee for the by-election at GH\u00a210,000, with nominations expected to open in early February.<\/p>\n<p>While the NDC is mourning its late member, the entry of a heavyweight like Baba Jamal\u2014who served as the Deputy General Secretary of the party\u2014adds a new layer of complexity to the race.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\">\n<table class=\"has-fixed-layout\">\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<td>\u00a0<\/td>\n<td>\u00a0<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>\u00a0<\/td>\n<td>\u00a0<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\u00a0<\/td>\n<td>\u00a0<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\u00a0<\/td>\n<td>\u00a0<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\u00a0<\/td>\n<td>\u00a0<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\u00a0<\/td>\n<td>\u00a0<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/figure>\n<p>As of Tuesday, January 20, 2026, the NDC regional executives have not yet officially sanctioned any specific candidate, maintaining that the party is currently focused on the final funeral rites of the late MP.<\/p>\n<p>However, Baba Jamal\u2019s early declaration sets the stage for a high-stakes battle to determine who will succeed the \u201cPeople\u2019s MP\u201d in Nima.<\/p>\n<p>Other names that have popped up within the NDC for the same seat are Najib Mohammed Sani and Dr. Yakubu M. Azindow.<\/p>\n<p>However, others are also pushing for the widow of the late MP, Hajia Amina Adam, to be considered as the party\u2019s candidate for the contest.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n        <div class=\"booster-block booster-reactions-block\">\n            <div class=\"twp-reactions-icons\">\n                \n                <div class=\"twp-reacts-wrap\">\n                    <a react-data=\"be-react-1\" post-id=\"111910\" class=\"be-face-icons un-reacted\" href=\"javascript:void(0)\">\n                        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/wp-content\/plugins\/booster-extension\/\/assets\/icon\/happy.svg\" alt=\"Happy\">\n                    <\/a>\n                    <div class=\"twp-reaction-title\">\n                        Happy                    <\/div>\n                    <div class=\"twp-count-percent\">\n                                                    <span style=\"display: none;\" class=\"twp-react-count\">0<\/span>\n                        \n     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             <\/a>\n                    <div class=\"twp-reaction-title\">Surprise<\/div>\n                    <div class=\"twp-count-percent\">\n                                                    <span style=\"display: none;\" class=\"twp-react-count\">0<\/span>\n                                                                        <span class=\"twp-react-percent\"><span>0<\/span> %<\/span>\n                                            <\/div>\n                <\/div>\n\n            <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n\n    ","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/www.myjoyonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Baba-Jamal-e1768930132177-150x150.jpeg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"I will contest in the Ayawaso East by-election \u2013 Baba Jamal confirms following MP's Death\" loading=\"lazy\" title=\"I will contest in the Ayawaso East by-election \u2013 Baba Jamal confirms following MP's Death\">Former Akwatia Member of Parliament Mohammed Baba Jamal Ahmed has officially entered the race for the upcoming Ayawaso East by-election, signalling a dramatic attempt to return to the legislature under the flag of the National Democratic Congress (NDC).<\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"facebook_2277560469115098_106292521332774":"","twitter_aToxNzczMzI3Njk4OTg4ODUxMjAxOw==_1773327698988851200":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3977,1951,2313,10,9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-111910","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-by-election","category-hp-news-1","category-ndc","category-politics","category-popular"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/111910","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=111910"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/111910\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=111910"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=111910"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=111910"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}