The Member of Parliament elect for Ayawaso East, Alhaji Mohammed Baba Jamal Ahmed, has assured constituents that the resetting of the constituency would begin immediately following his victory in Tuesday’s by-election. He pledged to champion peace, development and professionalism across the area, describing his win as a collective mandate to usher in a new chapter for Ayawaso East, particularly Nima.
Baba Jamal made the remarks in Accra on Tuesday when he addressed party supporters, constituents and the media after he was declared winner of the polls. The National Democratic Congress candidate secured 10,884 votes to defeat four other contenders in the race.
According to results announced by the Returning Officer at the Ayawaso East Constituency of the Electoral Commission of Ghana, Samuel Anim Ofori, Baba Ali Yussif of the New Patriotic Party placed second with 4,009 votes. The two independent candidates, Muhammad Umar Sanda and David Akonor, polled 1,885 and 107 votes respectively, while Ibrahim Iddrisu of the Liberal Party of Ghana obtained 43 votes. Out of 17,048 ballots cast, 16,928 were valid, while 120 ballots were rejected. The constituency has 49,966 registered voters.
He thanked the Almighty Allah for the victory and dedicated the win to his 93-year-old mother, Mimi, for her prayers and unwavering support. Baba Jamal also expressed gratitude to his wife, children and family for their endurance throughout the campaign, and extended appreciation to the National, Regional and Constituency Executives of the NDC.
He acknowledged supporters from Akwatia who travelled to campaign with him and thanked the President for the opportunity to serve in Nigeria in recent months, noting that the experience had enriched him and would enhance his contribution in Parliament. He commended the electorate, traditional leaders, imams and the Chief Imam for their prayers and support, and praised the peaceful conduct of both the party primaries and the by-election, noting that no incidents of violence or criminality were recorded.
Reacting to the outcome, Baba Ali Yussif said the result was not surprising, describing Ayawaso East as a stronghold of the NDC. “For them to win this, there is no news,” he said, adding that the outcome reflected what he described as declining confidence in the NDC, arguing that the total votes recorded suggested underlying concerns among constituents. Mr. Yussif further congratulated Baba Jamal on his victory and wished him well in his new role as Member of Parliament for the constituency.
He said the NPP would now focus on reorganising its structures, explaining that an internal reorganisation exercise, which was initially scheduled to begin on March 1 but delayed due to the by-election, would commence in the coming days. According to him, the party would concentrate on strengthening its base as it prepared for future political contests.
BY STEPHANIE BIRIKORANG
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