Dr. Ibrahim Murtala Mohammed
Ghana’s main opposition party, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) says it will not participate the Tamale Central Constituency by-election to replace Dr. Ibrahim Murtala Mohammed, the late Member of Parliamentary (MP) for the Constituency who died in a tragic helicopter crash.
Dr. Murtala Mohammed died along with seven other persons including Ghana’s Defence Minister, Dr. Edward Omane Boamah, Acting Deputy National Security Coordinator, Alhaji Limuna Muniru Mohammed, when the military helicopter they were traveling in crashed in the Adansi Akrofuom District of the Ashanti Region on Wednesday, August 6, 2025.
Following his death, there has been a vacancy in the Tamale Central Parliamentary seat. The development has given rise to a by-election in accordance with Article 112 (5) of Ghana’s 1992 Const.
In a statement issued on Monday, August 11, 2025, and signed by its General Secretary, Justin Kodua Frimpong, the NPP says its decision not to participate in the by-election was taken at its national headquarters.
According to the statement,
the resolution, made in accordance with Article 10(10)(1) of the NPP Constitution, was influenced by what the NPP described as the “circumstances under which the Tamale Central seat has become vacant”.
It says in arriving at the decision, the party also considered the need to avoid deepening political divisions at a time of national mourning.
The statement noted that
“The NPP is of the belief that it would be inhumane and unconscionable to subject the nation to a competitive process in search of a replacement for the departed MP,” adding that “The tension and acrimony often associated with the conduct of by-elections in the country should be avoided.”
It said “When the Electoral Commission of Ghana opens nominations for the Tamale Central by-election, the NPP will, in accord with the national interest, not take part in the contest.”