Prof. Baffour Agyeman-Duah, the Executive Director of the John Agyekum Kufuor Foundation, has said it is hypocritical for the Kingsley Nyarko alleged bribery conduct at the Ejisu by-election to be singled out as if it is the first time such a thing is being done in Ghana’s electoral space.
He says both political parties –NPP and NDC –have been indulging in the act since the commencement of the Fourth Republic, something he says needs to be tackled holistically rather than singling out a specific case.
According to Prof. Agyeman-Duah, Ghana’s electoral processes have been monetized to the extent that political parties have to even pay bribes to buy votes in internal elections, something he says needs an urgent attention.
His comments come on the back of the Member of Parliament for Kwadaso, Dr. Kingsley Nyarko, who was caught in a video speaking to electoral officers during the Ejisu by-election, after which he handed them a white envelope from his pocket.
When probed, the MP said he was giving them lunch at one breath, then he said he was giving out a document on another, before saying it was actually an empty envelope. The Electoral Commission subsequently dismissed the two officials and reported the matter to the police.
Speaking on the issue on the KeyPoints on TV3 Saturday, May 04, 2024, the former Governance Advisor to the United Nations said “we need to change our political or electoral processes in order to avoid the overwhelming influence of money in the way we elect our public officials.”
“I find it very stressful that we are devoting precious time to discuss an issue that is quite prevalent in our political processes. It’s not new and some of the panelists have already reiterated it. Unless you want to be hypocrites in this country, votes buying has been part and parcel of our electoral processes indulged in by both political parties. Even among their own primaries, they indulge in that.
“But as hypocrites, we are picking on this event as if it’s the first time we are witnessing, instead of spending time to discuss ‘how do we find a way to stop it’,” Prof. Agyeman-Duah told Alfred Ocansey, host of the show.
He continued that election observers have always cited in their reports, issues of votes buying in both general and primary elections, and it was time the matter was tackled wholly rather than singling out a single issue.
“We have a serious problem with our political process. These political parties, NPP and NDC practice it and instead of finding a way to sanitise our political system, we are spending all these hours beating on an issue…, anytime we have elections, if you read the report, especially by CDD, it’s a prominent part of their report in all previous elections that this country’s electoral system has been thoroughly monetized. That is the issue that all of us should be interested in stopping it.
“Picking on one event that we have seen to discuss it as if it’s the first time we are seeing is stressful and I don’t want to get into it,” he stated.
Ejisu by-election: Kingsley Nyarko’s alleged bribery did not mar integrity of poll – CDD-Ghana
