Dr. Jonathan Asante Otchere, a political analyst and Executive Director of the African Institute of Strategic Studies, has cautioned the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to act carefully regarding any attempt to annul a certified result declared by the Electoral Commission (EC), stressing that under the law, only the EC has the authority to annul election results.
He questioned how lawful it would be for the EC to reverse its decision, considering that Baba Jamal had already been officially declared the winner of the Ayawaso East parliamentary primaries.
Speaking on the Simpieso Political Show on Ahotor 92.3 FM in Accra, hosted by Emmanuel Matey, Dr. Otchere criticised both the majority and minority caucuses, describing them as hypocritical and complicit in what he termed a growing sub-culture of vote buying.
According to him, the monetisation of internal party elections has severely damaged Ghana’s body politic, and the NDC must learn lessons from the incident to prevent further erosion of democratic values.
Dr. Otchere warned that the actions of both major political parties—particularly the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the NDC—in promoting this culture of monetising democracy pose a serious danger to the country’s electoral system. He cautioned that elections could increasingly become contests where the highest bidder wins public office.
He noted that the practice cuts across all contenders involved in internal primaries, where gifts are often presented as “tokens of appreciation” to delegates. While often framed as gestures of gratitude, he argued that such practices undermine democracy and called for urgent measures to curb the unhealthy culture in order to restore public confidence in the electoral system.
In a related development, former Speaker of Parliament, Professor Aaron Mike Oquaye, has called for stronger institutional reforms to address the growing monetisation of Ghana’s politics, warning that the influence of money poses a serious threat to democratic governance.
His comments come amid public debate following the NDC Ayawaso East parliamentary primary, where allegations surfaced that some aspirants distributed television sets and other items to delegates, raising concerns about inducement and vote buying.
Professor Oquaye cautioned against rushing to conclusions, emphasising the importance of due process.
“Now it is a matter of allegation. As a lawyer, I don’t want to rush into conclusions just like that. But the fact is that there is an enquiry put together to look into the matter and then impose some sanctions. Let us wait and see what happens,” he said.
Beyond the specific incident, the former Speaker argued that the role of money in politics is a systemic problem that requires comprehensive reforms rather than focusing solely on individual cases.
“But I am not talking about an individual issue. Those MPs you see there, didn’t they give money? So, I want the whole system to be purified, more than individual sanctioning. We must bring out systems to ensure that it doesn’t happen again,” he stated.
Professor Oquaye stressed that strengthening regulatory frameworks and enforcement mechanisms is critical to safeguarding the integrity of Ghana’s electoral and democratic institutions, adding that sustainable reforms are necessary to restore public trust in the political process.