The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has officially terminated the membership of Umar Sanda following his decision to contest as an independent candidate in the upcoming Ayawaso East Constituency by-election scheduled for March 3, 2026, in a move that underscores the party’s renewed resolve to enforce internal discipline and protect the authority of its electoral processes.
In a formal letter dated February 17, 2026, issued from the NDC’s National Secretariat in Accra and signed by the party’s General Secretary, Fifi Fiavi Kwetey, the party stated that Umar Sanda’s decision to run independently directly contravenes the party’s constitution and violates the collective decision of the party to field a duly elected official candidate for the Ayawaso East seat.
The letter made it clear that by breaking ranks with the party, Umar Sanda had, by operation of the party’s constitution, automatically forfeited his membership with immediate effect.
Beyond the termination of his membership, the NDC further issued a strict prohibition on Umar Sanda’s use of any party-related identity, including the party’s name, logo, colours, insignia, symbols, or other intellectual property in the course of his campaign or any related political activity.
The directive effectively bars him from presenting himself to the electorate in any form that suggests affiliation with the NDC.
Background
The decision comes against the backdrop of heightened internal tensions within the NDC following the February 7, 2026 parliamentary primary in the Ayawaso East Constituency, a politically sensitive seat whose by-election has attracted intense national attention.
The primary produced Baba Jamal Mohammed Ahmed as the party’s officially endorsed candidate, but the process was immediately followed by allegations of vote-buying and internal contestation.
Subsequently, a party committee chaired by Kofi Totobi Quakyi was constituted to investigate the allegations. Baba Jamal appeared before the committee, publicly denied any wrongdoing, and reaffirmed his loyalty to the party and its democratic processes, citing his long history of contesting and accepting electoral outcomes within the constituency in the spirit of party unity.
Despite these internal mechanisms, divisions persisted within the constituency, with protests, demonstrations, and rival political alignments emerging in areas such as Nima. Traditional authorities in the area also publicly called for calm, urging the party leadership to prioritize peace and stability over deepening internal election.
It is within this charged political environment that Umar Sanda’s decision to contest as an independent candidate emerged — a move widely interpreted as a direct challenge to the authority of the party’s structures and the legitimacy of its officially endorsed candidate.
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