Ayawaso East by-election: NDC expels Umaru Sanda as Asiedu Nketiah says 'window has closed'
The National Chairman of the National Democratic Congress, Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, has declared that the window for independent candidate Mohammed Umaru Sanda to return to the party has closed, formally confirming his removal from the party’s membership roll ahead of the Ayawaso East by-election.
Addressing supporters at the party’s final rally in the constituency on Sunday, March 1, 2026, Mr Asiedu Nketiah urged voters to back the NDC’s parliamentary candidate, Baba Jamal, in the March 3 poll. He said Mr Sanda’s decision to contest the seat as an independent candidate amounted to a breach of party discipline and the constitution.
The Ayawaso East by-election was triggered by the death of the sitting Member of Parliament, Mahama Naser Toure, in January while receiving treatment at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital. The contest has attracted candidates from the NDC, the New Patriotic Party, the Liberal People’s Party and two independents.
Speaking at the rally, Mr Asiedu Nketiah said that from this point forward, Mr Sanda was no longer a member of the NDC, although he remained a “brother” to the party.
“It will take him about eight years before he can contest any position in the party. Even if, after the by-election, he decides to return, he cannot contest immediately and would have to wait until 2032. I am really pained for him,” he said.
He indicated that the party had initially given Mr Sanda an opportunity to withdraw from the race and publicly reaffirm his allegiance to the NDC. “We are giving him from today until Sunday. If he wants to repent, he should come to the Sunday rally and publicly declare that he has changed his mind so that we can receive and forgive him. But once the election is over and he decides to return to the party, he can stay for eight years without getting the opportunity to contest for any position.”
In a further warning, he added: “If you are sick and you are injected, you may survive if you are lucky, but if you are not lucky, you may die. Once it happens, it happens. After the election, he cannot come back to contest anything in the party for about eight years.”
Mr Asiedu Nketiah also drew on biblical imagery to underscore his point. “The Bible teaches that the message of salvation can seem foolish to those who have gone astray. Such a person is already on a path that leads to destruction and will ignore guidance. Only afterwards will they regret and say, ‘If only I had known.’ With that in mind, Umaru Sanda remains our brother, but he is no longer part of the party,” he stated.
The NDC had earlier, in a statement issued on February 17, explained that Mr Sanda had forfeited his membership by defying the party’s decision to field a duly endorsed candidate. The party also barred him from using its name, logo, colours, symbols or any other intellectual property in his campaign.
Mr Sanda announced his independent candidacy after the NDC primaries, citing what he described as the monetisation of the party’s internal electoral process. He is contesting against Baba Jamal of the NDC, Yussif Baba Ali of the New Patriotic Party, Ibrahim Iddrisu of the Liberal People’s Party and independent candidate David Kannor.
The outcome of Tuesday’s vote will determine who represents Ayawaso East in Parliament.
