Former Member of Parliament for Ablekuma Central constituency, Ebenezer Nartey, has said that approximately 90% of all members of political parties in Ghana, including the New Patriotic Party (NPP), do not pay dues.
According to him, members were paying during the membership card era until the party decided to change the style by transferring it into a database.
Speaking to Roselyn Felli on Joy Prime’s Prime Morning, the former MP stated that following the changes, some members were still contributing but later stopped due to the hacking of some accounts.
“All political parties always entreat their members to pay dues, but to be honest and sincere with you, I can tell you that about 90% of our members don’t pay dues. I can’t remember the last time I paid dues because we were then using the membership card.”
In response to a question about why party aspirants are tasked with caring for the welfare of delegates instead of the entire party, Mr. Nartey explained that it’s a necessity due to financial constraints resulting from members’ failure to pay their dues.
As a consequence, individuals seeking party positions take it upon themselves to provide for the welfare of the voters, including transportation and other necessities, often with the support of sponsors.
While some prefer to self-finance their campaigns, others employ strategies to raise funds from their supporters.
Although the party is responsible for the welfare of its members, Mr. Nartey believes that relying solely on the party is not practical.
There have been allegations that some NPP presidential aspirants induced party delegates with money at polling stations in various regions to secure votes in the recent party primaries.
On the same show, political scientist and author, Dr. John Osae Kwapong, expressed support for parties funding aspirants’ campaigns. However, he also acknowledged the potential for candidates to receive an uneven distribution of resources from their parties.
He said, “If resources are uneven, it places the candidates with more resources in a more advantageous position than other candidates.”
However, Dr. Osae Kwapong believes that addressing the burden of candidates having to provide transportation for delegates could help mitigate the problem of vote-buying during primaries.