A civil society group, Democracy Hub, has filed a lawsuit at the High Court in Accra, seeking to halt the upcoming Ayawaso East parliamentary by-election over allegations of vote-buying and inducement during the National Democratic Congress (NDC) primaries. According to GhanaWeb, the suit names the NDC, the Electoral Commission (EC), and the Attorney General’s Department as defendants {{IE_0}}¹{{/IE_0}}.
The controversy surrounds Baba Jamal, the NDC’s candidate, who has been accused of engaging in vote-buying during the primaries. Jamal has denied the allegations, but Democracy Hub argues that the process was “characterised by widespread vote buying, inducement, and monetisation,” undermining democratic principles enshrined in Ghana’s 1992 Constitution.
Democracy Hub is seeking a court order to nullify the EC’s recognition of Jamal as the NDC’s candidate and to restrain the Commission from accepting or acting on his nomination until a fresh primary is conducted in line with democratic standards. The group argues that relying on the outcome of the flawed process would breach Article 55(5) of the Constitution and Section 9 of the Political Parties Act, 2000 (Act 574).
The NDC has investigated the allegations through a three-member committee and upheld the results, citing legal requirements and EC nomination deadlines. However, Democracy Hub insists that the party’s decision to move forward without addressing the alleged misconduct makes its actions legally and constitutionally questionable.
The High Court will now consider whether to grant an injunction and decide whether the nomination process meets constitutional standards before the by-election proceeds on March 3, 2026.
The outcome of this case has significant implications for Ghana’s electoral process and the integrity of its democratic institutions.
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Author: Korkor Anumu
