The Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana) has called on the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) as well as other investigative agencies or bodies in the country to look into incidents of vote-buying in Ghana’s politics.
His request comes especially on the back of some findings made in its recent investigative piece on vote-buying.
While speaking in an interview today, Monday, July 13, 2020, the Director of Policy and Advocacy at CDD-Ghana, Kojo Asante, opined that the country’s democratic gains could be at risk of being eroded if givers and takers of vote-buying incentives are not sanctioned.
Mr. Asante’s comment was based on a report by the Corruption Watch, an arm of the CDD-Ghana, exposing how some aspirants in the recently-held New Patriotic Party (NPP) parliamentary primaries, allegedly influenced delegates with money and other items and incentives, as means to garner votes for themselves; an act which the CDD-Ghana and other corruption watch institutions frown against.
In the report, it highlighted prominent persons like the Deputy MASLOC CEO, Hajia Abibata Shani Mahama Zakaria; deputy procurement officer at COCOBOD, Alhaji Umar Farouk Aliu Mahama; incumbent Member of Parliament for Kwesimintim Constituency, Joseph Mensah and the Executive Secretary of the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NaCCA), Dr. Prince Hamid Armah.
Again, not only did the report highlight their names but also detailed how they allegedly influenced delegates to push their votes for them.
According to Dr. Asante, some of the incidents warrant a thorough inquiry by CHRAJ meted out with the appropriate sanctions applied.
“There are legal remedies that are available [to check vote-buying] and there is one that we are going to pursue. I think in the case of the Yendi [constituency], one where MASLOC loans and things were used as part of the inducement, that is in conflict of Article 284 of the Constitution where a public officer puts themselves in conflict for their own private benefit.”
“That is a clear case where we believe CHRAJ has to investigate and sanctions applied because people have to understand that there are laws against some of these things. If everybody is doing it doesn’t mean that it is proper and legal,” he said.
Dr. Asante further suggested that lead members of political parties must by themselves, institute internal mechanisms to deal with the issue of vote-buying.
“I agree that there are reform issues that we have to pursue but the law, when you fall foul, it has to bite, so that people will realize that it is not acceptable. It is not just the person giving but the person receiving should also be punished,” he further indicated.
