Political analyst Samuel Boateng has criticized the National Democratic Congress (NDC) for clearing Baba Jamal to contest the Ayawaso East constituency election, despite blatant allegations of vote-buying that marred the party’s primary.
Mr Boateng argued that the party missed a crucial opportunity to prove to Ghanaians its commitment to fighting electoral corruption—a practice he reminded is a criminal offense. He described the NDC’s internal investigation into the matter as “ambiguous” and “worthy of being trashed.”
Speaking in an interview on Nyankonton Mu Nsem on Rainbow Radio 87.5FM, Boateng suggested that the party would have been better off remaining silent rather than issuing a statement that cleared the former Ghana High Commissioner to Nigeria.
He noted that by doing so, the NDC has demonstrated a lack of genuine interest in tackling political corruption.
“The committee established was useless and their outcome is an insult. Even Commissions of Inquiry often fail to lead to anything reasonable, let alone a political committee. We have to trash the report. The claims made by the NDC were insulting; their argument that they were constrained by time makes no sense.”
According to the analyst, the current situation suggests that vote-buying in Ghana may not end until “the return of Jesus Christ.” Boateng had previously recommended that the party annul the election results, disqualify the candidates involved, and organize a fresh contest.
He warned that this “bad precedent” would damage the party’s credibility and pave the way for a future where money outweighs morality.
“I knew this would amount to nothing, but I wanted to give them the benefit of the doubt. Yet, they have failed us, insulted us, and confirmed that politicians have no interest in dealing with vote-buying. We should prepare for even worse scenarios in future elections organised by the NDC.”
Mr. Sameul Boateng advised the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) to abandon any potential probe into the matter, arguing that it would be a waste of public resources.
“The OSP should not waste its time probing this matter. We have failed in dealing with vote-buying issues. Our laws frown on the practice, and yet we have consistently allowed it to continue. If the party whose members engaged in these criminal acts sees nothing wrong with them, the OSP should forget about it.”
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
