Civil society group OccupyGhana has renewed its call for the criminalisation of vote buying in intra-party elections, warning that the practice is steadily eroding Ghana’s democratic foundations by entrenching corruption at the earliest stages of political leadership selection.
In a letter dated February 9, 2026, and addressed to the Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Dr Dominic Ayine, the Majority Leader, Mahama Ayariga, and the Minority Leader, Alexander Kwamina Afenyo-Markin, the group said the growing normalisation of vote buying within political parties posed a “grave and growing threat to democratic accountability, political integrity and equal participation”.
The letter, which follows an earlier appeal made in October 2023, argues that while Ghana’s electoral laws clearly prohibit corruption in national elections, the absence of explicit criminal sanctions for vote buying in internal party contests has created a loophole that continues to undermine the credibility of the country’s democratic system.
OccupyGhana stressed that intra-party elections should not be treated as secondary political activities, noting that they determine who eventually becomes candidates for public office.
According to the group, when these processes are distorted by financial inducements and material incentives, “merit, competence and genuine representation are displaced by monetary influence”.
The group warned that such practices entrench corruption at its earliest stages, compromise leadership selection and weaken public trust in democratic institutions and political authority. It added that the consequences of unchecked vote buying within parties inevitably spill over into national governance.
In pressing for renewed action, OccupyGhana urged the Attorney-General’s office and Parliament to initiate legislative reforms and policy measures that would expressly define and criminalise vote buying in intra-party elections, supported by what it described as effective sanctions and credible enforcement mechanisms.
The group further proposed that any such offences should fall under the jurisdiction of the Office of the Special Prosecutor rather than the Attorney-General’s Department.
It argued that vote buying in intra-party elections constitutes corruption and an abuse of public trust, placing it squarely within the statutory mandate of the Special Prosecutor.
“Given the inherently political nature of these offences, prosecution by an independent body is essential to avoid real or perceived conflicts of interest and to reinforce public confidence in the impartial enforcement of electoral laws,” the letter stated.
OccupyGhana also pointed to the Office of the Special Prosecutor’s specialised focus, saying its expertise in corruption-related offences positions it to ensure more rigorous investigations, consistent enforcement, and a meaningful deterrent against electoral malpractice.
The group said criminalising intra-party vote buying would send a clear signal of the state’s commitment to democratic integrity, political accountability and the rule of law, while demonstrating that corruption has no place in Ghana’s constitutional democracy, whether in national elections or the internal processes that feed into them.
OccupyGhana concluded by asking the Attorney-General and parliamentary leadership to indicate what steps had been taken, or were being considered, in response to the proposal, and how civil society organisations and concerned citizens could support efforts towards effective and lasting reform.
The letter was copied to the Speaker of Parliament, the Deputy Speakers, leaders of both sides of the House, the Electoral Commission and the Special Prosecutor, underscoring the group’s call for a broad, institutional response to what it considers a systemic democratic threat.
