Democracy Hub has filed a suit at the High Court seeking to halt the upcoming Ayawaso East by-election, citing alleged vote buying during the National Democratic Congress (NDC) parliamentary primaries held on February 7, 2026.
The civil society group is asking the court to quash the recognition of Mr. Baba Jamal as the NDC’s parliamentary candidate and to restrain the Electoral Commission of Ghana (EC) from accepting or acting upon his nomination until a fresh primary is conducted in line with democratic principles.
In the writ, the NDC has been named as the first defendant, the EC as the second, and the Attorney-General as the third.
Democracy Hub is seeking an order of mandamus directing the EC to refuse to accept Mr. Jamal’s nomination unless and until a new primary is held in accordance with constitutional standards.
“An order of mandamus directed at the 2nd Defendant to refuse to accept or act upon the nomination of the said candidate unless and until a primary conducted in accordance with democratic principles is held,” the group stated in its reliefs.
The organisation is also seeking a declaration that the February 7 primary was characterised by widespread vote buying, inducement, and monetisation. It argues that relying on the outcome of such a process to present a parliamentary candidate breaches Article 55(5) of the 1992 Constitution and Section 9 of the Political Parties Act, 2000 (Act 574).
“A declaration that the parliamentary primary conducted by the 1st Defendant for the Ayawaso East Constituency, having been found to have been characterised by widespread vote buying, inducement and monetisation, did not conform to the democratic principles required under Article 55(5) of the Constitution, and that the continued reliance on the outcome thereof and the presentation of a candidate founded on that process constitute actions contrary to and inconsistent with the Constitution in violation of section 9 of the Political Parties Act, 2000 (Act 574),” the suit stated.
Democracy Hub further contends that the NDC’s failure to address the alleged misconduct renders its actions inconsistent with constitutional and legal requirements.
The EC has scheduled the Ayawaso East by-election for March 3, 2026.
