16 pick up nomination forms for NDC Tamale Central vacant parliamentary seat after Murtala Muhammed’s death
Sixteen people have picked up nomination forms to contest the National Democratic Congress (NDC) parliamentary primary for the Tamale Central Constituency by-election.
The Electoral Commission has planned to run the by-election on September 30, 2025, to find a replacement for the Member of Parliament, Dr Ibrahim Murtala Mohammed, who passed away in the August 6 helicopter crash.
Dr Murtala Mohammed was in Parliament on the ticket of the NDC.
The opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) has announced it will not file a candidate for the by-election.
The NDC on Friday, August 22, asked interested persons to pick nomination forms and file by the close of day on Sunday, August 24, 2025.
And by the close of the day on Friday, 16 interested persons, comprising two women and 14 men, had picked up forms.
Among the aspirants are Professor Alidu Seidu, a former Head of the Political Science Department at the University of Ghana; Hanan Gundaado, former Metropolitan Chief Executive of Tamale; Halid Abdul-Rauf, a former Northern Regional Treasurer of the NDC; and Seidu Fitter, a Principal Research Assistant at the University for Development Studies (UDS).
The two female aspirants are Hajia Shamima Yakubu, the current Northern Regional Treasurer of the NDC, and Hajia Alimatu Issahaku.
The Northern Regional Secretary of the NDC, Mohammed Abdul Salam, told Graphic Online that the collection of nomination forms takes place between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. each day, and the process is ongoing.
The party has set the cost of a nomination form at GH¢5,000, payable in cash upon collection, while the filing fee stands at GH¢40,000. However, female aspirants and persons with disabilities will benefit from a 50 per cent discount on the filing fee.
A certified copy of the delegates’ list will be made available to aspirants after vetting. Vetting, balloting, and appeals have been scheduled for Sunday, August 31, 2025, with the election itself set for Saturday, September 6, 2025, between 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.
In a statement issued earlier, the NDC General Secretary, Fifi Fiavi Kwetey, urged aspirants and stakeholders to conduct themselves with restraint and respect.
“The party urges all prospective aspirants and stakeholders to ensure strict compliance with these directives and to conduct their campaigns and related activities with decorum, unity, and fairness,” the statement read.
The Tamale Central seat became vacant following the death of the Member of Parliament, Dr Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed, who died in a military helicopter crash on August 6, 2025.
