The candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Baba Jamal, has been declared the winner of the just-ended Ayawaso East by-election.

This was announced by the Electoral Commission (EC) on Tuesday evening.

The MP-elect secured 10,884 votes while his closest challenger, Baba Ali Yussif of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), received 4,009 votes. Independent candidate Mohammed Umar Sanda had 1,885 votes, David Kanor had 104 votes, and Ibrahim Iddrisu of the Liberal Party of Ghana recorded 43 votes.

A total of 16,928 votes were validly cast out of 17,048 ballots, with 120 rejected.

Supporters of Baba Jamal erupted in jubilant celebrations across the constituency following the official declaration.

The by-election, held to fill the vacancy left by the death of the late MP Naser Toure Mahama in January, saw voters across numerous polling stations head to the polls on Tuesday, March 3.

Early projections and polling had suggested a commanding advantage for Baba Jamal, and those forecasts ultimately played out in the poll results.

The day was marked by lower-than-expected turnout in the early hours, with observers noting that Ramadan fasting may have contributed to some voters arriving later in the day.

• Read also: I’m not motivated by material things; I’m here to serve – Baba Jamal

Security was a prominent feature of the election day arrangements.

In the run-up to voting, the Ghana Police Service assured the public that comprehensive measures were in place to maintain peace before, during, and after polling, with personnel deployed at all designated stations and key locations in the constituency.

Throughout the day, police officials described the environment at polling centres as calm and orderly and emphasised that the security presence was sufficient to handle “any eventuality” as counting and collation got underway.

The IGP also visited some areas as the polls closed.