Mimi, the mother of the newly elected Ayawaso East Member of Parliament, Baba Jamal Mohammed Ahmed, has taken the spotlight following her son’s victory in the just-ended by-elections.

The former High Commissioner to Nigeria won against five other contenders in the race for the Ayawaso East election yesterday, Monday, March 3, following the death of MP Naser Toure Mahama.

Speaking during a post-election victory, the former Akwatia MP revealed that his 93-year-old mother had promised to ensure his return to Parliament, a promise that has now been fulfilled.

“I want to thank the Almighty Allah for giving us this victory. Let me state that I dedicate this victory to my 93-year-old mother, Mimi, for promising to support me and ensuring that one day I would go back to Parliament,” he declared.

He noted that for years, she carried the conviction that her son would return to the House. Tuesday’s result, he said, was more than a political comeback; it was the fulfilment of a promise.

“Today, her vision and wish have come true. And I thank Allah for her life, and I dedicate this victory to her.”

Although Madam Mimi stayed out of the spotlight during her son’s campaign ahead of the election, he insists that her resilience shaped his campaign. He then went on to remind his supporters that the win belonged to the constituency as much as to his family.

“I want to state that this victory is not for me, Baba Jamal, alone; it’s for the good people of Ayawaso East. I want to thank all of them for having confidence in me and electing me as their parliamentary candidate-elect,” he added.

More than 49,000 registered voters participated in the by-election conducted at 113 polling stations. Baba Jamal polled 10,884 votes to beat the New Patriotic Party's (NPP) Yussif Baba Ali, who secured 4,009 votes.

The three other contesters: the Liberal Party of Ghana’s (LPG) candidate, Ibrahim Iddrisu, polled 43 votes, Independent candidate Alhaji Mohammed Umaru Sanda secured 1,885 and another Independent candidate, David Kannor.

Ahead of the by-election, a poll by Global InfoAnalytics predicted victory for Baba Jamal. The survey projected that the NDC candidate would secure about 75 per cent of the votes, ahead of his main contender, the NPP’s Baba Ali.

The by-election was marked by low voter turnout. The NDC now has 189 seats in Parliament.

“At the end of the voting exercise for the parliamentary by-election for the Ayawaso East constituency

Five candidates contested in the polls, the first one is Baba Jamal Mohammed, and he polled 10,884 votes; the second candidate on the ballot, Ibrahim Iddrisu Mohammed, also polled 43 votes; Yusuf Ali Baba polled 4,009 votes.

“The fourth candidate, Mohammed Umah Sunda, also polled 1,885 votes. The fifth candidate, Tanoh, also an independent candidate, polled 104 votes.

“In all, we had 16,928 valid votes, 120 votes were rejected and in that case total votes cast amount to 17048. Looking at the just announced results, I, Samuel Anim Ofori, the retaining officer of the Ayawaso East constituency, hereby announce to you your new MP elect Baba Jamal Mohammed,” the retaining officer stated.

For months, the constituency had been without representation following the death of its long-serving legislator, Alhaji Mahama Naser Toure. He was reported dead on January 4 after a short illness at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital. In accordance with Islamic customs, he was buried within 24 hours of his passing.

Naser Toure Mahama was widely regarded as a grassroots politician whose parliamentary work focused on urban renewal in Nima and youth empowerment within Zongo communities.

Baba Ali was projected to trail with 21%, independent candidate Umaru Sanda Muhammed expected to poll 3% of the vote, with the other remaining candidates, Ibrahim Iddrisu and David, to garner less than 1%.

Independent aspirant Umaru Sanda Muhammed, who recently severed ties with the NDC, was projected to secure about 3 per cent of the vote.

The by-election attracted heightened attention in recent days amid internal developments within the NDC, including allegations of vote buying during its parliamentary primary.

On February 7, Baba Jamal won the Ayawaso East Constituency primary following the party’s internal primary held.

After the close of polls, provisional results showed that Baba Jamal polled 431 votes out of the total votes cast, followed by the widow of the late Ayawaso MP, Naser Toure Hajia Amina Adam who secured 399 votes.

Mr Mohammed Ramne, the Ayawaso East NDC Constituency Chairman, placed third with 88 votes. Dr Yakubu Azindow obtained 45 votes, while Mr Najib Mohammed Sani recorded one vote.

The closely contested primary attracted more than 1,100 accredited delegates from across the constituency, reflecting the high stakes involved in selecting a candidate for the by-election in a seat widely regarded as a stronghold of the governing NDC.

Five aspirants contested the race: Hajia Amina Adam, Mr Baba Jamal, Dr Yakubu Azindow, who had previously contested the late MP in the 2023 primary, Mr. Mohammed Ramne, and Mr Mohammed Sani.Although the race was initially considered open, it later narrowed into a tight contest among Mr Jamal, Hajia Amina Adam and Dr Azindow.

Even though the election was peaceful on Saturday, reports of vote buying emerged on the eve of the election and on election day, involving some candidates, including Baba Jamal, who at the time was Ghana’s High Commissioner to Nigeria and allegedly offered television sets and other items to delegates.

Videos circulating on social media showed some delegates leaving polling centres carrying television sets and other items. Reacting to the vote-buying allegations, the NDC, in a statement signed by its Secretary, Fiifi Kwetey, announced that it would investigate the allegations.

It noted that a three-member committee had been set up to probe the matter.In a statement issued on the same day, the NDC said its national executives had taken note of what it described as widespread incidents of inducement and vote buying allegedly perpetrated by some aspirants.

The party condemned the acts, describing them as an affront to its values and principles, and announced that it had launched investigations into the matter.