The Dean of the University of Ghana School of Law, Professor Raymond Atuguba, has expressed deep concern about the growing influence of money in Ghana’s political system.
He views this trend as a significant threat to democracy, as it effectively allows governance to be auctioned off to the highest bidder.
This issue has resonated with many Ghanaians who are troubled by the implications, fearing that it results in the election of leaders who may not be the most qualified or suitable for office.
In an exclusive interview on the AM Show, Prof. Atuguba highlighted the detrimental impact of this phenomenon, warning that it could erode key aspects of the country’s progress over time.
Prof Atuguba insisted that “when a person or a party borrows money, nationally and internationally to run a campaign, they are essentially going to bed with investors, and the investors will come to collect immediately after you are installed as President.”
“This means therefore that our governance is skewed towards satisfying the dynamics of moneyed election,” he said on Thursday, May 2, 2024.
He characterized these dynamics as the repayment of political debts to investors, often with interest, which distorts the allocation of state funds.
“The second priority is to build a war chest for your next election. And by then people are going to expect more because you have been in the seat for four years,” he added.
He also noted that the illicit activities of these syndicates compel the guilty political party to gather experts from various fields such as law, finance, and media, among others, to defend the regime.
This, he lamented, results in the allocation of resources to these areas by the government, leaving the citizenry with little to show for it in the long run.