The Ayawaso East by-election campaign has taken a controversial turn, as Baba Jamal Mohammed Ahmed, parliamentary candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), comes under intense public criticism over the distribution of 5kg bags of rice to residents of Nima, in what many observers describe as “poverty politics” and crude alleged vote buying disguised as charity.

The residents of the constituency go the poll tomorrow to elect a new parliamentarian to replace the departed MP for the constituency, Mahama Nasser Toure.

Baba Jamal and two others are vying for the vacant seat.

The backlash follows the circulation of a campaign video showing members of Baba Jamal’s campaign team moving from house to house in Nima, distributing small bags of rice to residents — many of them Muslims currently fasting during the holy month of Ramadan.

The footage has sparked anger across social media and within the constituency, with critics arguing that the gesture is not only politically motivated but demeaning, reducing vulnerable citizens to objects of transactional politics.

From TV Sets And Cash To Alleged Rice Handouts

The rice distribution comes against the background of earlier allegations that Baba Jamal’s campaign allegedly spent thousands of Ghana cedis and distributed TV sets to delegates during the NDC parliamentary primary in Ayawaso East Constituency — allegations that triggered internal party investigations and eventually drew the attention of the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP).

Although Baba Jamal has consistently denied wrongdoing and was later cleared by an NDC probe committee to contest the by-election, the public perception of monetised politics has remained firmly attached to his campaign.

For many residents, the transition from alleged TV sets and cash inducements for party delegates to 5kg bags of rice for ordinary voters symbolises a deeper moral contradiction in the campaign’s strategy.

“After all these years of supporting the NDC, all she got was a 5kg bag of rice,” one resident remarked, referencing complaints from elderly women who reportedly expressed frustration at being ignored for years, only to receive symbolic gifts during election season.

The Viral Video And The Language Of Disrespect

The controversy deepened after another video surfaced showing a campaign operative addressing elderly women in the local language while distributing the rice.

The phrase allegedly used — “Baa kuduka daku karbi guda ba oo! Kujey bayaa, karku daameini!” — roughly translated as “Not all of you will receive the same, go back and do not disturb me” — has been widely interpreted as dismissive and dehumanising.

For many residents and commentators, the tone of the interaction was more offensive than the rice itself, portraying vulnerable citizens as beggars rather than dignified voters with rights and political agency.

Critics argue that the distribution exercise stripped people of dignity, especially during Ramadan, a period traditionally associated with compassion, humility, and spiritual reflection.

Conscience Over Cash

Ironically, the same videos also captured voices of resistance. Several young men from the constituency openly rejected the transactional logic of the exercise, speaking about conscience, dignity, and principle.

Their words have since gone viral, earning praise across social media as “the true sensible sons of Ayawaso East,” for refusing to allow hunger, poverty, or political pressure to compromise their moral judgment.

Many viewers noted that the person recording the video appeared to attempt to twist the narrative to favour the campaign, but the message from the residents remained firm: conscience should not be bought by “greedy, power-hungry politicians.”

Development Vacuum And Selective Attention

The rice controversy has reignited a deeper debate about neglect and selective development in Ayawaso East. Residents are openly questioning why the constituency experiences “overnight attention” only during by-elections, with no visible long-term development, infrastructure projects, or sustained social interventions.

Some have compared the situation to politically strategic regions such as the Ashanti Region and swing constituencies, arguing that if this by-election were happening in those areas, massive development projects, visible investments, and high-level interventions would already be underway.

Instead, residents say Ayawaso East is being offered symbolic relief items instead of structural solutions — rice instead of roads, food instead of schools, handouts instead of jobs.