The National Democratic Congress (NDC) Ayawaso East parliamentary primary, held on Saturday, February 7, has become the focal point of a significant controversy, stemming from widespread allegations of vote-buying and breaches of the party’s electoral code. Mohammed Baba Jamal Ahmed, Ghana's High Commissioner to Nigeria, emerged victorious from the highly contested primary, securing 431 votes, representing 45% of the total. His closest contender, Hajia Amina Adam, garnered 399 votes, accounting for 41%.

The conduct of the primary drew sharp criticism from Franklin Cudjoe, President of the policy think tank IMANI Africa. Reacting to reports of widespread vote-buying and the distribution of 'goodies' to delegates, Mr. Cudjoe urged the NDC leadership to annul the Ayawaso East elections. In a Facebook post, he emphatically stated, "The NDC should annul the Ayawaso East elections and punish culprits who violated the electoral code. The results were influenced by naked bribery. NDC, be different!" He called for firm disciplinary action against individuals found to have violated the party's internal rules, stressing the importance of demonstrating a higher moral standard.

The core of the vote-buying allegations revolved around Baba Jamal’s campaign team, which reportedly distributed 32-inch Nanco television sets and boiled eggs to delegates ahead of the primary. This distribution allegedly led to 'brief jostling' among some voters. Despite the accusations, Baba Jamal vehemently defended his actions. Speaking to the media, he confirmed the distribution but insisted that these gestures were not intended to influence voting decisions. He characterized his actions as consistent with his long-standing personal practice of supporting people financially and materially, citing instances of providing GHS 2.5 million in free loans. He questioned the notion of impropriety, arguing, "So if you give television sets to people, what is wrong with it when you give things to people? Is this the first time I am giving things to people?" He further clarified that the ethical issue was not the act of giving itself, but whether such gifts were allowed to sway voters' choices, considering the provision of basic hospitality for delegates gathered for a political exercise.

In a swift move to uphold the government's commitment to transparency, President John Dramani Mahama officially recalled Mohammed Baba Jamal Ahmed from his post as Ghana's High Commissioner to Nigeria. According to a statement released by the Spokesperson to the President, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, while allegations of vote-buying were made against multiple candidates, Baba Jamal was uniquely positioned as a serving public officer, making his situation distinct and necessitating his recall. The Presidency also acknowledged that the NDC's General Secretary had previously indicated the party had initiated its own internal investigations into the allegations arising from the polls.

Further compounding the situation, Mussa Dankwah, Executive Director of Global Info Analytics, weighed in with a post-election analysis. He admitted that his firm's Model 1 pre-primary predictions, which had projected Hajia Amina Adam to secure 50% and Baba Jamal 38% (with a potential rise to 41% within the error range), had fallen short. Baba Jamal notably exceeded expectations by securing 45%, placing him 4% above the model's upper limit, while Hajia Amina underperformed by 9%, falling 6% outside the model's margin of error. Dankwah, in a sarcastic closing comment widely interpreted as tongue-in-cheek rather than a formal accusation, quipped, "It took to defeat science and data." More critically, Mr. Dankwah called for the immediate intervention of the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP), arguing that administrative sanctions alone are insufficient for what he described as criminal interference in the democratic process, emphasizing its impact on the government's accountability agenda.

Adding another layer to the discourse, Emmanuel Nii Ashie Moore, the Greater Accra Regional Chairman of the NDC, made a startling admission regarding the party's struggle to control financial influence in internal elections. He described monitoring or preventing vote-buying as an "extremely difficult" task that currently evades party leadership, despite increased security measures. Ashie Moore pointed to the evolution of financial technology, such as Mobile Money (MoMo) and instant bank transfers, as creating a "ghost economy" within political primaries, rendering traditional monitoring obsolete. He highlighted the scale of over 1,000 delegates in Ayawaso East alone as providing a convenient cover for illicit transactions. While personally not witnessing any transactions, he acknowledged the phenomenon as a systemic challenge across the entire Ghanaian political landscape, urging all political parties to collectively address it.

The Ayawaso East primary thus stands as a critical case study, raising profound questions about electoral integrity, the role of money in politics, and the efficacy of oversight mechanisms within political parties and governmental institutions in Ghana. The ongoing internal and external investigations are anticipated to provide further clarity and potentially shape future electoral conduct.