An aspiring Deputy General Secretary of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC), Anthony Kwame Nukpenu, has revealed that candidates require a minimum of GH₵3.5 million to contest for any elective position within the Greater Accra Region.
Reacting to the recent Supreme Court decision to abolish the delegates system in favour of a universal voting structure—where all registered party members in good standing vote in presidential and parliamentary primaries—the politician welcomed the ruling as a positive step, though he noted that political parties should have been granted more time to adjust.
He lamented that the pervasive monetization of internal party elections poses a critical threat to Ghana’s democracy.
He warned that if left unchecked, the country risks repeatedly electing incompetent individuals into key political offices.
Speaking in an interview on Frontline on Rainbow Radio 87.5FM, Nukpenu described the financial inflation of Ghana’s electoral process as a blot on the nation’s democratic credentials. He emphasized that spending a minimum of GH₵3.5 million offers no guarantee of victory in internal primaries, let alone the general elections.
He further disclosed that the intense financial strain often leaves winning primary candidates completely depleted, leaving them unable to fund their general election campaigns or even print basic campaign posters.
“Monetisation of our elections is a dirt on Ghana’s democracy. That is why I support the outcome of the court case, although I would have preferred they gave the political parties more time to implement the directives. The directive from the Supreme Court is good; it will deal with the inducements, monetisation, and vote-buying,” Nukpenu stated.
“Contesting in any primaries in the Greater Accra Region, one would require GH₵3.5 million to run your campaign. That is for just the internal primaries—it excludes the main elections. We even have situations where, when people win the elections, they are unable to even print posters for the general elections because they spent everything they had on the internal primaries,” he explained.
Nukpenu also condemned the excessive distribution of material goods during campaign periods to influence voters.
“The profligacy of our elections, where people share fridges, freezers, and other things, is a disgrace to our democracy. For several years I have argued that if we don’t deal with this, we will get drug lords and fraud boys as MPs because they have the money they can misuse. Let me repeat that with the current system we run, before you can win any primaries, the minimum you spend is GH₵3.5 million. It stretches candidates, and so they are unable to fund their national campaigns,” he added.
Addressing the long-term solution, Nukpenu reiterated the need for political parties to reform their grassroots mobilization ahead of full implementation.
“That is why, one way or another, I side with the Supreme Court. But we will need more time as political parties to build a sound base to be able to have a membership that really understands their role as party members. The consciousness is currently not there. We need members who will have the loyalty, dedication, and commitment in paying their dues,” he concluded.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana