The Special Prosecutor (OSP) initiated investigations into alleged inducement, vote trading and election-related violence connected to recent primaries organised by the NPP and NDC.
In a notice dated February 8, 2026, the anti-corruption agency announced that it is examining events surrounding the New Patriotic Party’s presidential primaries held on January 31, alongside the National Democratic Congress’ parliamentary primaries in the Ayawaso East constituency conducted on February 7.
The OSP said the investigations are centred on claims that delegates in both contests were influenced through financial or material inducements, as well as inquiries into how funds allegedly used for such activities were mobilised. The agency stressed that internal party processes are not exempt from Ghana’s anti-corruption and electoral laws.
Beyond the alleged inducement, the OSP disclosed that it has opened a separate case into a reported attack on one of its officers during the Ayawaso East primary. The officer was said to be performing official duties when the confrontation occurred.
According to the notice, Mohammed Baba Jamal Ahmed, an aspirant in the NDC parliamentary primary and Ghana’s High Commissioner to Nigeria at the time, is being investigated over claims that he facilitated or condoned the assault on the OSP official.
The Ayawaso East contest, organised to choose a parliamentary candidate after the death of the sitting MP, was marked by controversy. Reports from the exercise alleged that some delegates received household items, including television sets, from campaign groups—raising concerns about inducement and the credibility of the process.
Reacting to the developments, the NDC condemned what it described as unacceptable acts of bribery and inducement, announcing that its national executives had launched a parallel internal probe into the conduct of the primary.
The matter has also attracted executive attention. President John Dramani Mahama has reportedly directed the recall of Ghana’s High Commissioner to Nigeria, Mohammed Baba Jamal Ahmed, citing standards of conduct required of public officials amid the unfolding controversy.
The OSP reiterated that offences linked to elections—ranging from vote buying and selling to intimidation and violence—are punishable under Ghanaian law. The agency said its actions form part of broader efforts to protect the integrity of the democratic process, even at the level of party primaries.
