Alhaji Mohammed Baba Jamal Ahmed of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has won the Ayawaso East parliamentary by-election, retaining the seat for his party with a decisive margin.

Official results released by the Electoral Commission of Ghana showed that Baba Jamal secured 10,884 votes, representing 63 per cent of valid ballots cast. His closest contender, Baba Ali Yussif of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), obtained 4,009 votes, while Ibrahim Iddrisu of the Liberal Party of Ghana polled 43 votes.

Two independent candidates, Umar Sanda Mohammed and David Akonor, garnered 1,885 and 104 votes, respectively.

Out of 17,048 ballots cast across 113 polling stations, 16,928 were valid, with 120 rejected ballots. The constituency has 49,966 registered voters, reflecting a low voter turnout.

The by-election was organised to fill the vacancy created by the death of the sitting Member of Parliament, Naser Toure Mahama, in January 2026.

The poll, conducted on March 3, was generally peaceful. Security personnel were deployed early to polling centres in Nima, Maamobi, Accra New Town and surrounding communities to maintain order. Police officers were stationed at strategic points, while patrol teams monitored activities throughout the day.

Supporters of Baba Jamal gathered at the forecourt of the collation centre ahead of the official declaration to celebrate what had already appeared to be a comfortable lead.

Speaking after he was declared winner, the MP-elect dedicated the victory to his family and constituents. “I dedicate this win to my 90-year-old mother Mimi and the people of Ayawaso East. This victory is for the people of Ayawaso East,” he said.

He pledged to focus on development in the constituency. “I want to assure the people of Ayawaso East that the resetting starts now. I am here to help rebrand Nima,” he added.

Earlier, Baba Ali Yussif conceded defeat and congratulated his opponent, but argued that the turnout reflected disaffection among voters. “The people have spoken and we’ll take it in good faith,” he said, while suggesting that the NPP could capture the seat in future contests.

Baba Jamal, born on May 7, 1969, at Akwatia in the Eastern Region, is a lawyer and a senior member of the NDC. He studied at the University of Ghana and was called to the Ghana Bar in 2015. He previously served as Member of Parliament for Akwatia from January 2013 to January 2017 and held a deputy ministerial position during the first term of President John Dramani Mahama.

In 2025, he was appointed Ghana’s High Commissioner to Nigeria but was later recalled in 2026 over allegations of voter inducement during constituency primaries, claims that were subsequently found to be unfounded.

His victory marks a return to Parliament after nine years and extends the NDC’s hold on Ayawaso East, a constituency the party has controlled since 1992. Baba Jamal is expected to be sworn in at the next sitting of Parliament by the Speaker, Alban Bagbin.