Founder and President of IMANI Africa, Franklin Cudjoe, has slammed the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) for upholding the outcome of the party’s Ayawaso East parliamentary primary despite the glaring bribery and vote-buying incidents that characterised the exercise.
He says he didn’t expect the results of the poll to be upheld considering what he describes as the “powerful statements and actions” from the party disapproving the inducements that compromised the integrity of the election.
Mr. Cudjoe described the party’s decision to clear the eventual primary winner to contest the upcoming by-election as a “red card”, saying it is the third time he has issued this warning to the party since they took office in January 2025.
Franklin Cudjoe’s comments follow the NDC’s decision to maintain Baba Jamal as its candidate for the Ayawaso East parliamentary election saying annulment of the results of last Saturday’s primary was not an option.
The General Secretary of the NDC, Franklin Fiifi Fiavi Kwetey, after the NDC’s Functional Executive Committee (FEC) had received an inquiry report from the three-member committee that investigated the allegations of vote-buying, mentioned time constraints, potential legal challenges that may arise if the party decides to annul the results and lack of clear provisions in the party’s constitution to guide such situations as the reasons for maintaining Baba Jamal.
He further disclosed that all the candidates admitted to engaging in inappropriate conduct per the report and that the party would ensure that all other candidates were punished.
The party, in the meantime, has decided to expand to seven, the three-member committee established to inquire into the matter to conduct a more thorough investigation into the allegations.
Meanwhile, the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) had earlier invited Baba Jamal for interrogation and was released on self-recognizance bail following hours of interrogation on vote-buying allegations linked to the party’s parliamentary primary.
Counsel for Baba Jamal, Victor Kwadjoga Adawudu, had told Graphic Online that his client was also interrogated on an alleged assault on an officer of the OSP who was sent to submit an invitation letter to the parliamentary candidate.
Adawudu maintained that his client was not aware that items were being distributed in his name, adding, “if he was aware and being a lawyer, he would have told the people the position of the law.”
Background
Following allegations of vote-buying and inducement during the Ayawaso East parliamentary primary held on Saturday, February 7, 2026, the party established a three-member committee to look into the matter.
The committee, chaired by a former Minister of Information, Kofi Totobi Quakyi, with a former Member of Parliament for Tamale Central, Alhaji Inusah Fuseini, and a legal practitioner, Emefa Fugah, as members, probed the allegations and made appropriate recommendations, including sanctions to the Functional Executive Committee which is chaired by the party’s National Chairman, Johnson Asiedu Nketia.
The committee’s mandate also included making recommendations on sustainable measures and reforms to decisively end the practice of inducement and vote-buying in the party’s internal electoral processes.
This came after President Mahama recalled Baba Jamal from Nigeria as High Commissioner over the vote buying allegation. The General Secretary has assured that all candidates will face equal sanctions.
