Franklin Cudjoe, President of IMANI Africa, has criticised the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) for upholding its Ayawaso East primary despite vote-buying allegations.
Speaking on Channel One TV’s The Big Issue on Saturday, February 14, Mr. Cudjoe expressed disappointment that the NDC had not taken decisive action to tackle the practice of monetisation in Ghanaian elections.
“I was angry that the NDC held an election marred by the naked exchange of gifts and money. For once, I thought we were going to see the end of monetisation in our elections,” he said. “Even if they lose that seat, what is the point? They have so many seats. If any party could change the perception, I thought this current NDC would have been the best to do that.”
Mr. Cudjoe argued that the party could have annulled the primary without jeopardising its overall position in Parliament, stressing that electoral integrity should outweigh political calculations.
The controversy centres on Baba Jamal, the NDC parliamentary candidate, who was accused of engaging in vote buying during the primary held on February 7. Mr. Jamal has consistently denied the allegations.
A three-member party committee investigated the claims and submitted a report that influenced the NDC’s decision to uphold the primary results. The party cited legal considerations, constitutional provisions, and deadlines for filing nominations with the Electoral Commission as reasons for not annulling the election.
