The Deputy General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Haruna Mohammed, has criticised President John Dramani Mahama’s decision to recall Baba Jamal from his post as High Commissioner to Nigeria, describing the move as unnecessary and driven by populism.

Speaking on The Probe on Sunday, Haruna Mohammed argued that Baba Jamal would, in any case, have resigned from his diplomatic position after contesting and winning the Ayawaso East parliamentary primary.

“The man (Baba Jamal) has won. He was the one who won the election. He cannot be a parliamentary candidate and at the same time be a High Commissioner, so the man was going to resign to come home, and the man is already on leave. So the president recalled him; it is populism, it is unnecessary,” he said.

Following the primary on Saturday, President Mahama ordered the immediate recall of Baba Jamal over allegations of voter inducement during the exercise in the Ayawaso East Constituency.

A statement issued by the Presidency Communications Unit said the decision was taken in response to claims that delegates were induced during the party’s internal elections, in which Mr Baba Jamal emerged victorious.

However, Haruna Mohammed alleged that the recall was intended to signal displeasure among senior figures within the National Democratic Congress (NDC), pointing to internal party tensions following Baba Jamal’s win.

“They (NDC MPs) are not happy that Baba Jamal has won against their candidate (the widow of the late MP, Hajia Amina Adam). The president is not happy that Baba Jamal has won against their candidate; that is very unfortunate, and that is what is happening in the ND today,” he claimed.