Political science lecturer at the University of Ghana Legon, Dr. Asah Asante, has expressed concern about the prevalence of financial inducements in Ghana’s political landscape.
In the run-up to the crucial election, the two main contenders, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, who is seeking to lead the party in the 2024 general election, and the Assin Central Member of Parliament, Kennedy Agyapong, have engaged in mutual allegations.
Incidents of vote-buying have arisen in the lead-up to the presidential primaries of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP).
Speaking on the Morning Starr with Francis Abban, the political science lecturer stated: “In a democracy, our leaders’ decisions they take, the ideas they draw out—if we listen to them and we are satisfied, we go with that and we go ahead and vote them into office.
“We only get there and we are given transport or we demand transport intended for that purpose”.
“For me, it is a worrying development; for me, that is something we are not doing right. So people have developed this thing to the point that whoever is able to give more has more people attending to you. Because obviously, everybody needs money in this state”.
“But if there is somebody who will give you more, why would you want to waste your time on another who will give you less? So that is what is happening,” he added.
Dr. Asante further stated that the sharing of money among delegates in the upcoming NPP presidential primaries is across the board and not by any particular candidate.