The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has fingered the newly elected National Democratic Congress (NDC) parliamentary candidate for the Ayawaso East by-election, Mohammed Baba Jamal Ahmed, for inciting attacks on one of its officers.
According to the OSP, during the NDC primaries, their officer was on the ground for a real-time investigation when Baba Jamal allegedly abetted thugs to physically attack their officer.
The OSP also announced that they have launched investigations into alleged vote-buying during the NPP’s Presidential primaries and the NDC’s Ayawaso East parliamentary primary.
The OSP, in a statement, stated, “The Office of the Special Prosecutor(OSP) has commenced an investigation in respect of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) presidential primaries conducted on 31 January 2026.
On 7 February 2026. The OSP commenced a real-time investigation in respect of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) parliamentary primaries at the Ayawaso East constituency
The investigations focus on allegations of vote buying, vote selling, and the sources of funding of the alleged corrupt acts.
During the conduct of the NDC parliamentary primaries at the Avawaso East constituency on 7 February 2026, one of the candidates – Mohammed Baba Jamal Ahmed – allegedly abetted thugs to physically attack an officer of the OSP, who was serving an investigative directive on him in relation to vote buying and vote selling.
Consequently, the OSP has opened further investigation into the assault of an authorised officer of the OSP in the performance of his functions in relation to Mohammed Baba Jamal Ahmed.
The OSP reminds the public that the law prohibits corrupt acts in relation to public elections. It is a serious offence to engage in vote buying, vote selling, intimidation, threats of violence, and acts of violence in relation to elections”.
However, Haruna Mohammed, the Deputy General Secretary of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), has quizzed the OSP over its decision to investigate alleged vote buying in the Ayawaso East parliamentary primary.
According to Haruna Mohammed, the OSP has no mandate to probe alleged vote buying.
Speaking on The Probe on Sunday, Haruna Mohammed argued that, “See the Special Prosecutor also issuing a statement, a populist statement, a man who has not been able to prosecute even a single case, he is there doing populist imperial tactics. The OSP is talking too much”.
“That was a very weak letter, and he should have known that some of these things that he has carried in the letter would not even give the grounds on which he wants to investigate. Something happened in Ayawaso East, and you went to put in the NPP. That is unnecessary. The very foundations of the OSP have failed,” he added.
“None of the NPP members who contested for that (Ayawaso East) is holding any public office. I am telling you that the people are private individuals; none of them works for the state. The OSP was not set up to go and investigate private citizens; it is a state-sponsored organisation, and it is important for him to investigate what happens to the state,” he argued.
Meanwhile, Pressure group Occupy Ghana has claimed intra-party vote-buying is not a criminal offence in Ghana.
According to Occupy Ghana, vote buying in public elections is a crime, but it is not a crime when done within a political party.
In a Facebook post in reaction to the brouhaha surrounding the NDC Ayawaso East primary, Kojo Anan Ankomah wrote, “The reality is that although vote-buying is a crime in public elections, it is not a crime in intra-party elections. OccupyGhana, as usual, called for it. We wrote to the relevant people who had the power to introduce just a small amendment into the law to fix this.
As usual, the two parties ignored us. So the intra-party vote buying has escalated to the level where the perpetrators are not even embarrassed to admit it publicly. It is no crime. Maybe now, they will listen”.
See the post below:
— Office of the Special Prosecutor-Ghana (@ospghana) February 8, 2026