PNC, LPG withdraw from Tamale Central by-election, leaving NDC’s Prof. Seidu Alidu unopposed

The People’s National Convention (PNC) and the Liberal Party of Ghana (LPG) have pulled out of the upcoming Tamale Central parliamentary by-election, leaving the National Democratic Congress (NDC) candidate, Prof. Seidu Mahama Alidu, as the sole contender.

Their withdrawal follows an earlier decision by the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) not to field a candidate in the race, which was necessitated by the death of the sitting MP, Dr. Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed, in a helicopter crash on August 6, 2025.

A source at the Electoral Commission confirmed that both the PNC and LPG, who had already completed filing processes, officially notified the Commission of their withdrawal on Wednesday, September 10, 2025, through their respective general secretaries.

Prof. Alidu, a political scientist and former head of the Department of Political Science at the University of Ghana, secured an emphatic victory in the NDC’s internal contest, polling 840 out of 1,500 valid votes in a 12-way primary.

His closest rival, Hanan Gundadow Abdul-Rahaman, a former Chief Executive of the Tamale Metropolitan Assembly, garnered 536 votes. The remaining aspirants managed only single or double digits.

With the withdrawals, the September 30 by-election is now expected to be a formality, confirming the NDC’s continued dominance in Tamale Central.

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