The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has acknowledged that inappropriate conduct was exhibited by all candidates during its recent Ayawaso East parliamentary primary but has nonetheless confirmed Mohammed Baba Jamal as its candidate for the upcoming by-election.
The decision was announced by the party’s General Secretary, Fifi Kwetey, after a meeting of the NDC’s Functional Executive Committee, which considered findings from a three-member investigative committee established to probe allegations of vote-buying.
Addressing journalists, Mr Kwetey disclosed that although the committee recommended the annulment of the primary, the party was unable to act on that advice due to constitutional and legal constraints.
“The committee’s report was to the effect that, ideally, we should have an annulment of the primaries. However, the party’s constitution does not provide for the annulment of elections, and we are also time-bound because we need to present a candidate to the Electoral Commission,” he explained.
He added that the possibility of legal challenges from the declared winner further limited the party’s options, making it impractical to delay the process.
“In view of these difficulties, we have no option but to present Baba Jamal, who was declared winner by the Electoral Commission,” Mr Kwetey stated.
The investigative committee was tasked with examining claims that aspirants induced delegates with cash and items, including television sets, during the primary held on Saturday, February 7.
Mr Kwetey confirmed that the committee’s findings pointed to widespread breaches of party ethics, noting that “inappropriate conduct was exhibited by virtually all the candidates.”
To address the recurring issue of vote-buying in future internal elections, he announced the establishment of a new seven-member committee to propose far-reaching reforms aimed at strengthening discipline and integrity within the party’s electoral processes.
