- Twelve aspirants have filed nominations to contest the NDC Tamale Central parliamentary primary ahead of the September 30 by-election
- The seat became vacant after MP Dr Ibrahim Murtala Mohammed died in a tragic military helicopter crash on August 6, 2025
- The frontrunners are Dr Seidu Mohammed, also known as Seidu Fiter, and Prof. Alidu Seidu Mahama, former UG Political Science head
The race for the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Tamale Central primary is heating up with aspirants filing their nominations.
As of close of nominations on Sunday, August 24, 2025, 12 aspirants had filed to contest the NDC’s parliamentary primary ahead of the by-elections scheduled for September 30, 2025.
Photo credit: UGC.
Source: UGC
The aspirants include Professor Alidu Seidu Mahama, former Head of the Department of Political Science, University of Ghana (UG), Dr Seidu Mohammed, Principal Research Assistant at the University for Development Studies (UDS), and Dr Aliu Abdul Hamid, a civil engineer.
The others are Mariama Naama Salifu, a diplomat; Dr Rahman Abdul Rashid; Alhaji Alhassan Nbalba, former Chairman of the NDC-UK/Ireland Chapter; Hajia Muliaka Sualisu; Sadat Harun Alhassan, a lawyer; Alhassan Osman Gomda, an entrepreneur; and Hajia Shamima Yakubu, the NDC’s Northern Regional Treasurer.
However, according to a Daily Graphic report, two other aspirants, Abdul Rauf Halid, National Vice-Chairman of the NDC, and Alhaji Ibrahim Seidu, an engineer, who picked their nomination forms on Friday, August 22, 2025, have withdrawn from the race due to personal reasons.
The Tamale Central seat became vacant following the untimely death of Dr Ibrahim Murtala Mohammed, who died in a tragic military helicopter crash with seven other prominent Ghanaians on Wednesday, August 6, 2025, while en route to the Ashanti Region to attend a state function.
Dr Murtala Mohammed, the former Minister for Environment, Science and Technology, was the Member of Parliament for Tamale Central on the ticket of the ruling NDC.
Main contenders for NDC Tamale Central primary
According to conversations among electorate of the Tamale Central Constituency, the race is between Dr Seidu Mohammed, popularly known as Seidu Fiter, and Prof. Alidu Seidu Mahama.
Seidu Fiter, who is said to be a mentee of the late Murtala Mohammed, was the first to declare his bid for the NDC primary.
In a statement released on Facebook, he touted his personal qualities and contributions to the NDC in the constituency as the basis for him to be elected to replace the late MP.
Prof. Alidu Seidu Mahama, on the other hand, is said to be the favourite of the elders of Tamale Central.
After heading UG’s Political Science department for many years, he was recently appointed by President John Mahama to serve as the Executive Secretary of the Water Resources Commission (WRC).
Read the Facebook post below:
NDC outlines guidelines for Tamale Central primary
On Tuesday, August 19, 2025, the NDC announced the guidelines to elect a new candidate for the Tamale Central by-election.
According to guidelines released by the General Secretary, Fifi Fiavi Kwetey, prospective aspirants were required to pay GH¢5,000 for nomination forms and GH¢40,000 as a filing fee, although women and persons with disabilities were eligible for a 50 per cent reduction.
Per the timetable released by the NDC, nominations opened on August 21, 2025, and closed on August 23, with vetting held on August 26, and the final list of approved aspirants was published on August 27, ahead of the primaries scheduled for September 6.
Photo credit: UGC.
Source: UGC
NPP withdraws from Tamale Central by-election
Meanwhile, YEN.com.gh reported earlier that the NPP announced that it would not field a candidate in the Tamale Central parliamentary by-election.
The party reportedly reached this decision following a National Steering Committee meeting held on August 11.
In a statement, it explained that it had considered the circumstances under which the Tamale Central seat had become vacant.
Source: YEN.com.gh
Source: Yen.com.gh
