President John Mahama of Ghana Orders Recall of High Commissioner to Nigeria

President John Mahama of Ghana Orders Recall of High Commissioner to Nigeria

  • Ghana’s president John Mahama recalled the country’s High Commissioner to Nigeria, Baba Ahmed, over allegations of electoral malpractice
  • The decision followed claims of vote-buying during the National Democratic Congress parliamentary primaries in Ayawaso East
  • The presidency said the recall took immediate effect to preserve the integrity of public office and uphold standards of conduct

President John Mahama of Ghana has recalled the country’s High Commissioner to Nigeria, Baba Ahmed, following allegations of electoral malpractice during the parliamentary primaries for the Ayawaso East Constituency.

A statement issued by the Ghanaian presidency in Accra on Saturday explained that Ahmed, who was also an aspirant in the primaries, was recalled due to his alleged involvement in voter inducement while serving as a public officer.

President John Mahama recalls Baba Ahmed as he faces recall as NDC investigates vote-buying claims in Ayawaso East primaries.
President John Mahama recalls Ghana’s High Commissioner to Nigeria over electoral malpractice allegations. Photo credit: VS Alliance/Getty
Source: Getty Images

Electoral malpractice allegations

The presidency noted that the decision was taken to avoid any perception of impropriety or conflict with the Government’s Code of Conduct for Political Appointees. It stressed that Ahmed’s continued stay in office was no longer tenable under the circumstances.

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The recall came after allegations of vote-buying were levelled against multiple aspirants in the National Democratic Congress (NDC) parliamentary primaries held in the constituency.

Party investigations underway

The statement highlighted that the president’s directive followed an announcement by the NDC’s General Secretary that the party had commenced investigations into the incident.

“The President has also noted the public statement by the General Secretary of the NDC indicating that the party has commenced investigations into the allegations arising from the primaries,” the statement read.

Preserving integrity of public office

The presidency emphasised that the recall was necessary to uphold the standards of conduct expected of public officers.

“Without prejudice to the ongoing internal party processes, and strictly in view of the standards of conduct expected of public officers, the President considers it necessary to act decisively to preserve the integrity of public office,” the statement added.

The directive took immediate effect, with the Minister of Foreign Affairs instructed to take the necessary administrative and diplomatic steps to implement the recall.

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This move reflected the government’s stance on maintaining transparency and accountability in public service, particularly in matters involving political appointees.

Electoral integrity in Ghana is preserved as President John Mahama recalls High Commissioner immediately.
Ghana presidency enforces Code of Conduct by removing envoy linked to electoral malpractice. Photo credit: Anadolu/Getty
Source: Getty Images

Trump orders immediate recall of US Ambassador

Legit.ng earlier reported that the United States president, Donald Trump, ordered the recall of Richard Mills, US Ambassador to Nigeria, in what was described as a major reshuffle of US diplomatic postings worldwide.

The move was part of a broader recall affecting over two dozen countries, with Africa reportedly the most impacted continent. Nigeria is one of 15 African nations to have had its ambassadors recalled, alongside countries like Algeria, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, Egypt, Gabon, Madagascar, Mauritius, Niger, Rwanda, Senegal, Somalia, and Uganda.

In addition, several Asia-Pacific countries, including Fiji, Laos, the Marshall Islands, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines and Vietnam, as well as European countries like Armenia, Macedonia, Montenegro and Slovakia, saw changes. Guatemala and Suriname were also affected in the Western Hemisphere.

Proofreading by Funmilayo Aremu, copy editor at Legit.ng.

Source: Legit.ng

Authors:
Basit Jamiu avatar

Basit Jamiu (Current Affairs and Politics Editor) Basit Jamiu is an AFP-certified journalist. He is a current affairs and politics editor at Legit.ng. He holds a bachelor's degree from Nasarawa State University (2023). Basit previously worked as a staff writer at Ikeja Bird (2022), Associate Editor at Prime Progress (2022). He is a 2025 CRA Grantee, 2024 Open Climate Fellow (West Africa), 2023 MTN Media Fellow. Email: basitjamiu1st@gmail.com and basit.jamiu@corp.legit.ng.

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