The Greater Accra Regional Organiser of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Anthony Nukpenu, has dismissed calls by the party’s Majority Caucus in Parliament for the annulment of the Ayawaso East parliamentary primary, describing the demand as lacking legal and moral standing.
His response follows a statement issued by the Majority Caucus on Sunday, February 8, 2026, calling for the immediate cancellation of the primary election that produced Baba Jamal as winner amid allegations of vote buying.
The statement, signed by Majority Leader and Leader of Government Business, Mahama Ayariga, cited widely circulated reports of inducement during the conduct of the primary.
After what it described as extensive deliberations, the caucus resolved to formally request the NDC’s Functional Executive Committee to annul the election and bar any candidate found culpable of vote buying from participating in a rerun.
However, speaking on Badwam on Adom TV, Mr. Nukpenu, who served as the supervisor of the primary, strongly opposed the caucus’ position.
He argued that members of the Majority Caucus lacked the locus to make such demands, claiming that vote buying has become a pervasive problem across party elections and should not be selectively condemned.
While indicating that acts of vote buying might have occurred, Mr. Nukpenu described the overall conduct of the election as free and fair, noting that the irregularities reported largely took place outside the designated voting areas.
“The act is condemnable,” he said, “but it is inconsistent for individuals who have either benefitted from or presided over similar practices to now demand punitive action.”
He further criticised the timing of the Majority Caucus’s statement, stating that it was issued after the NDC’s General Secretary, Fiifi Fiavi Kwetey, had already released an official statement condemning vote buying and affirming the party’s commitment to investigate the allegations.
According to Mr. Nukpenu, the matter should be left in the hands of the party’s internal investigative structures rather than being politicized through public statements that could deepen divisions within the party.
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