Think tank Election Watch Ghana is requesting the Electoral Commission, Ghana (EC) to also conduct investigations into the allegations of vote buying in the just-ended parliamentary primaries of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the Ayawaso East Constituency.
It further asked the EC to take action against whoever is found guilty.
In a press release on Monday, February 9, EWG also asked the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service as well as the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) to collaborate to “conduct a thorough investigation and prosecute offenders”.
This comes after the NDC constituted a committee to probe the incident, assuring of sanctions to all involved. The Presidency has since recalled Baba Jamal, the eventual winner, from his post as Ghana’s High Commissioner to Nigeria.
“We commend the NDC for issuing a prompt statement condemning vote buying and urge the party to back their words with concrete actions,” the press release jointly signed by Mark Ewusi Arkoh and Jude Balma said.
“The party’s commitment to discipline any member found guilty of vote buying will be a clear indication of their dedication to upholding democratic values.”
EWG, however, raised concerns about a lacuna in the nation’s laws, which it said prohibits vote buying only in general elections and not internal elections.
“This loophole creates an environment where candidates may feel emboldened to engage in such malpractices, compromising the fairness and transparency of the electoral process.”
The think tank is, therefore, calling for amendments to Section 33 of the Representation of the People Law, 1992 and the introduction of “specific” provisions in the Political Parties Law, 2016 “to prevent vote buying in internal elections”.