Seven MPs whose sudden deaths sent shockwaves across Ghana

Ghana’s Fourth Republic has seen several Members of Parliament die before completing the parliamentary terms for which they were elected.

While some served in Parliament for only a few months, others had spent several years in the House before their demise.

Here are some MPs whose parliamentary careers were cut short by their deaths.

1. Gibril Adamu Mohammed – Asawase Constituency

Gibril Adamu Mohammed had one of the shortest parliamentary tenures recorded in Ghana’s Fourth Republic.

The medical doctor was elected on the ticket of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to represent the Asawase Constituency in the Ashanti Region in the 2004 parliamentary election.

He was sworn into office on January 7, 2005, at the start of the Fourth Parliament of the Fourth Republic.

However, Mohammed died on February 15, 2005, barely six weeks after entering Parliament.

He therefore served for approximately 39 days.

His death created a vacancy in the Asawase seat, leading to a by-election on April 21, 2005. Fellow NDC candidate Mubarak Mohammed Muntaka won the election and replaced him.

2. Ernest Yaw Kumi – Akwatia Constituency

Ernest Yaw Kumi was another first-time MP whose parliamentary career ended only months after he entered the House.

Kumi won the Akwatia Constituency for the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the December 7, 2024, parliamentary election and took office on January 7, 2025, when the Ninth Parliament was inaugurated.

His tenure was cut short when he died on July 7, 2025, about six months after entering Parliament. Parliament confirmed his death on the same day.

His death resulted in a vacancy in the Akwatia Constituency, with the Electoral Commission subsequently holding a by-election on September 2, 2025.

3. Mary Eugenia Ghann – New Edubiase Constituency

Mary Eugenia Ghann was among the first MPs to serve under Ghana’s Fourth Republic.

She was elected on the ticket of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to represent the New Edubiase Constituency in the Ashanti Region in the 1992 parliamentary election.

Ghann polled 7,939 votes in the election and began her parliamentary term on January 7, 1993, when the First Parliament of the Fourth Republic commenced.

However, she died in September 1993, less than nine months after the beginning of the First Parliament.

The exact date of her death is not given in the parliamentary records and sources currently available.

Her tenure is therefore best described as having lasted from January to September 1993.

Following her death, the Electoral Commission organised a by-election in the New Edubiase Constituency.

Theresa Joyce Baffoe won the seat on the NDC ticket and was sworn into office on October 6, 1993.

4. John Kumah – Ejisu Constituency

John Ampontuah Kumah, a former Deputy Minister of Finance, was elected as the Member of Parliament for the Ejisu Constituency on the ticket of the NPP in the 2020 parliamentary election.

He began his parliamentary term on January 7, 2021, and died on March 7, 2024, at the age of 45. He therefore served for a little over three years in the Eighth Parliament.

Before his death, Kumah was a member of the Employment and Social Affairs Committee and served as Vice Chairperson of the Legal and Constitutional Committee of the Eighth Parliament.

He was also serving as Deputy Minister of Finance at the time of his death.

5. Ekow Quansah Hayford – Mfantseman Constituency

Ekow Quansah Hayford was a member of the Seventh Parliament representing the Mfantseman Constituency in the Central Region on the ticket of the NPP.

He entered Parliament on January 7, 2017, after winning the 2016 parliamentary election.

Hayford was shot dead on October 9, 2020, while returning from a campaign trip, just weeks before the 2020 general election. The incident occurred on the Abeadze Dominase-Mankessim road in the Central Region.

He had served for nearly four years in Parliament before his death.

Before entering Parliament, Hayford worked as a police officer from 1993 to 1998.

His death occurred just a day after he had filed his nomination to seek re-election in the Mfantseman Constituency.

6. Philip Basoah - Kumawu Constituency

The Member of Parliament for the Kumawu Constituency in the Ashanti Region, Philip Basoah died on March 27, 2023, at the age of 54 years.

He first came to Parliament in 2017 after winning the 2016 general elections in the Kumawu constituency.

Prior to sailing to Parliament, Basoah was a Chief Executive for the Sekyere East District from June 2005 to January 2009 and was also a tutor at the Agogo State College.

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In the 2016 Ghana general elections, he won the parliamentary seat with 21,794 votes making 78.2% of the total votes cast on the ticket of the New Patriotic Party.

In the 2020 Ghana general elections, he won the parliamentary seat with 14,960 votes making 51.1% of the total votes cast.

7. Naser Toure Mahama - Ayawaso East Constituency

The Member of Parliament for Ayawaso East in Greater Accra, Naser Toure Mahama died on January 4, 2026, at the age of 60 years.

He reportedly died at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital after a period of illness.

It was his fourth term in Parliament, having entered the House in 2013 representing the people of Ayawaso East.

He was succeeded by Baba Jamal after a dramatic contest.

JKB/VPO

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