The Deputy National Communications Director of the New Patriotic Party, Kamal-Deen Abdulai, has urged the Party to revise its measures to discourage the culture of vote buying in the party.
According to Mr. Abdulai, in order to stop the aspirants from financially inducing the delegates, the leadership should expand the delegates base to make it impossible for any person to buy the votes of the delegates. This, he believed, is a sure way of ending the party’s “monecracy”.
“For now, the Executives have to sit down and revise measures and the major issue should be how the monetization of votes will reduce and be discouraged. I have always said that if NPP puts its things in order, winning an election is not so much difficult for us. But if, internally, we don’t put matters right and some people feel short-changed so they will overlook things, that is where we are going to have ourselves to blame. But so far so good, except to add that it appears the monetization is becoming too much and we really need to look at it. It is very important.”
Kamal-Deen Abdulai
The Deputy Communications Director intimated that it’s his hope that the new crop of executives would hold a conversation centered around ensuring such acts are looked at.
“What can we do to help reduce at least that spectacle we are presenting for people to see the party as such? If we are not able to do it, a time would come that we would always cede competence to whoever has money and it’s a problem. It’s dangerous!”
Kamal-Deen Abdulai
Mr Abdulai however, complimented the party for a successful elections at the regional level but called on the members and supporters to come on board and help the party to win power again. “Breaking the eight cannot just be mere words; it’s a lot of work.”
Display of opulence not ideal
Also commenting on the issue, Managing Editor of the Insight newspaper, Kwesi Pratt, lamented that the display of opulence in the just-ended regional elections of the ruling New Patriotic Party was not ideal.
The ace Journalist stated that claims that the voters were manipulated with money, “is not the spirit of the NPP”. According to him, this is a new level and he thinks the party should be worried about this because if “this is just regional elections, I can imagine what will happen during the nationals”.
“I know NPP very well to the extent that I even had an office in the NPP headquarters; NPP is not a party that was built on money. It was built on sacrifice and commitment and dedication .
“The kind of work done to build the New Patriotic Party is not what is going on now. You’re destroying the party. NPP in 1992 is substantially different from NPP 2022. Principles have changed, values have changed, commitment levels have changed, so much has changed in the NPP and it should be a source of worry for all who want to see the party progress.”
Kwasi Pratt
The New Patriotic Party recently held its regional elections and elected executives for their branches across the 16 Regions of Ghana. However, some party aspirants were recorded to have given out monies to the delegates to solicit their votes.
Reports that also emerged after the elections indicated that some of the candidates distributed cash and other items to delegates especially in the Ashanti Region where delegates were alleged to have received huge sums as money in a bullion van was distributed to them. One candidate openly stated that he paid each delegate GHS1,000.
Read Also: London Metal Exchange Sued for $456 Million for Cancelling Nickel Trades
