The race to elect a candidate to contest the March 3 Ayawaso East Constituency parliamentary by-election on the ticket of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has reached a fever pitch. Five aspirants are desperately seeking to swing votes in their favor as the party prepares to hold its internal elections.
The stakes are high in this contest, with the winner poised to become a potential parliamentarian given the NDC’s stronghold over the constituency. The aspirants include Hajia Amina Adam, the widow of the late Member of Parliament; Baba Jamal Mohammed Ahmed, Ghana’s High Commissioner to Nigeria; Dr. Yakubu Azindow; Mohammed Ramne, Constituency Chairman; and Najib Mohammed Sani.
The aspirants will follow the order of Mohammed Ramne, Hajia Amina Adam, Baba Jamal, Dr. Azindow, and Mohammed Sani on the ballot paper. However, the contest has been narrowed down to a three-horse race, with many NDC supporters tipping Baba Jamal, Dr. Azindow, and Hajia Amina Adam as the hot favorites.
The last NDC parliamentary primary held in 2023 was won by the late MP, Naser Toure, who polled 452 votes. Baba Jamal secured 309 votes, while Dr. Azindow obtained 242 votes. With the widow in the running, the election is expected to be keen, with over 1,100 delegates congregating at the Nima Cluster of Schools to elect the party’s candidate.
Hajia Amina Adama is riding on a policy-driven message that emphasizes youth and women empowerment, continuity, competence, and commitment. She is a distinguished entrepreneur, philanthropist, and community development advocate with a life story deeply rooted in Nima-Hot Coffee. Baba Jamal, a legal practitioner and Ghana’s High Commissioner to Nigeria, sees his candidature as a homecoming, despite being associated with Akwatia constituency in the Eastern Region. He claims to have been born and raised in Nima, the heart of the Ayawaso East Constituency. The election promises to be an exciting and closely contested affair.
