The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has named Baba Ali as its parliamentary candidate for the forthcoming Ayawaso East by-election, signalling its readiness to mount an aggressive campaign in the constituency.

The Greater Accra Regional Chairman of the party, Divine Agorhom who confirmed the news in an interview on Citi FM on Monday, January 26, said the choice followed careful consultations and was informed by the candidate’s experience, humility and capacity to mobilise support within a limited timeframe.

Mr Agorhom explained that the party deliberately opted for a candidate who is well-grounded in its internal structures and capable of working harmoniously with party members across all levels to galvanise grassroots support.

“We want somebody with strong party experience, who understands our structures, is well known within the party, and has the humility and willingness to go door-to-door and engage everyone so that, within this short period, we can work together to make him acceptable to the constituency,” he stated.

He added that after extensive deliberations, the party leadership was satisfied that Baba Ali best met these requirements.

“The individual we settled on clearly ticked all the boxes, and for that reason we believe we are well positioned going into the by-election,” he said.

Mr Agorhom further noted that Baba Ali has served as constituency secretary on two occasions and enjoys the full backing of the local party leadership, a factor he described as critical to the party’s strategy.

Meanwhile, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) is preparing to hold its own primary ahead of the March 3 by-election, with six aspirants having picked nomination forms, including constituency chairman Mohammed Ramme, Hajia Amina Adam, Ghana’s High Commissioner to Nigeria Baba Jamal, and Dr Yakubu Azindow.