The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has officially launched the nomination process for its Ayawaso East parliamentary primary, setting the stage to choose a candidate who will contest the March 3, 2026 by-election for the Greater Accra seat following the death of four-term MP Naser Toure Mahama on January 4, 2026. Parties and aspirants will compete internally to represent the NDC in the upcoming race to fill the vacancy in one of Accra’s key constituencies.
Under the timetable released by the party’s General Secretary, Fifi Kwetey, nomination forms were made available on January 24, 2026 at the NDC’s Greater Accra Regional Office, and must be submitted by January 27 ahead of a vetting exercise on January 28. Delegates lists will be provided to aspirants once filing fees, GHS 40,000 with a GHS 5,000 form fee, are paid and verified; female aspirants and persons living with disabilities are offered a 50 percent concession on the filing fee. The primary itself is scheduled for February 7, 2026.
The race has already attracted high-profile contenders within the party. Hajia Amina Adam, the widow of the late MP, and Baba Jamal, Ghana’s High Commissioner to Nigeria and former MP for Akwatia, have both publicly declared their intentions to contest the NDC primary. Another relative of the late MP is also understood to be in the running, signalling a competitive field.
While many within the party and grassroots members have expressed support for particular aspirants, the NDC leadership has emphasised that no candidate has been pre-selected and that the process is open to all eligible members who meet party requirements, underscoring the party’s commitment to internal democracy.
The winner of the primary will go on to represent the NDC in the by-election on March 3, 2026, as mandated under Article 112(5) of the 1992 Constitution, which requires by-elections when parliamentary seats become vacant.
Wife of late MP to contest Ayawaso East parliamentary by-election