The Executive Director for Peace Watch Ghana, Madam Nyonkopa Daniels, has criticised the Majority Caucus (and certain NDC MPs) for demanding the annulment of the Ayawaso East parliamentary primary over allegations of vote-buying.
Madam Daniels argued that lawmakers calling for the cancellation of the results due to inducement are being disingenuous, suggesting they cannot convincingly claim to have never offered incentives themselves during their own campaigns.
Speaking on Frontline on Rainbow Radio 87.5FM, she asserted that the stance taken by these MPs appears hypocritical and demonstrates a lack of genuine commitment to electoral reform.
To prove their sincerity, she challenged any MP calling for annulment to resign their own seats so that fresh elections could be conducted across the board.
In her conversation with host Kwabena Agyapong, she suggested that Baba Jamal is being unfairly singled out as a scapegoat, despite other candidates allegedly engaging in similar practices.
“Was Baba Jamal the only one who shared items? Was he the only one holding a position? Did we not see others share motorbikes, money, and other items? What level of hypocrisy is this? If the MPs want the results annulled, then they should resign. Can they swear that before we elected them, they did not pay money? They should stop the hypocrisy.”
Madam Daniels urged stakeholders to find a lasting solution to the “canker” of vote-buying rather than targeting individuals.
Furthermore, she touched on the controversial trend of widows contesting their late husbands’ seats. She reminded listeners of the NDC’s past criticism of the NPP during the Ayawaso West Wuogon by-election, where the term “bloody widow” was infamously used. She expressed concern that if this trend continues, more spouses may feel pressured to enter Parliament solely upon the death of their husbands.
“When the NPP was doing this, the NDC complained, and yet today, the NDC is doing the same thing. If care is not taken, we will have more wives of MPs forcing their way into Parliament should their husbands die.”
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
