Mark Ewusi Arkoh, Convenor for the pressure group Elections Watch Ghana, has called on the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) to investigate the distribution of money and resources during the January 31 presidential primary.
Speaking on International Elections Watch—Rainbow Radio’s coverage of the primary—Arkoh argued that the sharing of cash and the establishment of “food stations” at various polling centers amounted to blatant bribery.
He opined that these actions were designed to unfairly influence delegates’ decisions.
“No matter how this is framed, it amounts to the buying of votes,” Arkoh noted. He warned that the increasing monetization of the electoral process undermines its integrity. If left unchecked, he cautioned, the political landscape could eventually be dominated by “hardened criminals, such as drug lords and other top-tier criminals.”
Ewusi Arkoh further criticised the handling of logistics by the party’s elections committee. He argued that since candidates paid substantial filing fees, the committee should have been solely responsible for organizing delegate transportation and provisions.
“The purpose of the filing fees was to take care of these things. There is no justification for any of the candidates to give out money to delegates. That amounts to vote buying. If we are not careful, we will have criminals enter our political space, induce people with money, and take over the country. We are threatening the future of our children and destroying our so-called democracy. That is why I am encouraging the OSP to take an interest in this matter.”
The Convenor highlighted that this trend breeds systemic corruption within the government. He explained that candidates who “induce people with money” often feel compelled to steal from state resources once in power to recoup their campaign expenditures.
Mr Arkoh concluded by alleging that some aspirants may have spent upwards of GH₵200 million on vote-buying and urged the OSP to launch a formal probe into these expenditures.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
