Alhaji Umar Sanda Mohammed, a former member of the NDC who is now contesting the Ayawaso East by-election as an Independent candidate, has alleged that President John Mahama personally told him he had approve him name as a Municipal Chief Executive (MCE).
According to Alhaji Umar Sanda, he has served the NDC for more than 30 years, rising through the ranks.
He further detailed the controversy surrounding his bid to become Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), adding that Mahama personally assured him of his appointment.
Umar Sanda further alleged that some individuals in the community went and changed his appointment as an MCE.
Speaking in an interview with Metro TV, Umar Sanda explained, “I vied for that position very well because I was the most qualified candidate around that time. The president himself told me that he had approved my name.
He told me personally at the Jubilee House when I went to greet him. That was the time he said he had approved my name. But all of a sudden, some individuals in the community went and changed everything.”
He further added, “I am the longest-serving assembly member in the community. I have served for almost 20 years, and I have been in the NDC for almost 36 years”.
“That even made me the most qualified candidate at that time. But all of a sudden, the constituency chairman and some individuals went and changed it. I don’t know whether they went to the president or spoke to him, but all of a sudden, the thing changed.”
“I don’t blame the president on that because the president told me himself. But I know there are individuals who don’t want me to be in that position.”
“The constituency chairman used some individuals in the hierarchy and did what he wanted to do, and he succeeded. That is why this thing happened. I don’t want to touch there because I don’t want to go too far on that issue.”
Also, Umar Sanda has explained the reasoning behind his decision to contest the upcoming Ayawaso East by-election as an independent candidate.
He explained that his decision was based on the overwhelming calls from his constituents, adding that he withdrew from the party’s internal primary following the heavily monetised NDC primaries.
Also, the NDC has announced that Umar Sanda has automatically forfeited his party membership after deciding to contest the Ayawaso East by-election as an independent candidate, in violation of the party’s constitution.
Meanwhile, Pressure Group Democracy Hub has filed a lawsuit at the High Court in Accra seeking to halt the upcoming Ayawaso East parliamentary by-election.
According to the Democracy Hub, NDC’s Ayawaso East primaries were characterised by widespread vote buying, inducement, and monetisation, which they argued undermines democratic principles enshrined in Ghana’s 1992 Constitution.
The Democracy Hub lawsuit stems from the alleged vote-buying during the National Democratic Congress (NDC) parliamentary primaries held on February 7, 2026.
The pressure group lists NDC as the first defendant, with the Electoral Commission (EC) as the second, and the Attorney-General as the third.
Democracy Hub is seeking the High Court to quash the EC’s recognition of Baba Jamal as the NDC candidate and to restrain the Commission from accepting or acting on his nomination, calling for a fresh primary to be conducted in accordance with democratic principles.
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