NDC will not contest Ejisu by-election -Isham Alhassan affirms

The opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has decided not to participate in the upcoming by-election for the Ejisu Constituency, slated for April 30, 2024.

The seat became vacant following the passing of John Ampontuah Kumah, a Member of Parliament from the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), on March 7, 2024.

Isham Alhassan, the Ashanti

Read full articleRegional Organizer of the NDC, explained that the party is choosing to abstain from the by-election to avoid wasting resources and to concentrate on preparing for the general elections scheduled for December 7, 2024.

Alhassan emphasized the party's commitment to securing victory for John Mahama in the December elections, stating that any participation in the by-election would divert resources from the primary goal of winning the general elections.

“I am speaking on authority that the NDC will not contest this by-election. We are winning the election for His Excellency John Mahama, so any preparation that we have is geared towards the December election, and that is our focus,” Alhassan stated per media reports.

He added, “We don’t want to benefit from [John Kumah’s] death. Looking at the time frame, if the Electoral Commission does not conduct the election before May, any political party who contests this election is just causing financial loss to the party.”

As the NDC opts out of the by-election, the Electoral Commission (EC) will oversee the process to ensure fairness and transparency.

The NPP is currently in the process of selecting a candidate for the by-election, with nine aspirants cleared for the party's parliamentary primary scheduled for April 13, 2024.