GII calls on EC to disqualify NDC candidates found guilty of vote buying

The Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII) has raised concern over allegations of vote buying in the just-ended primaries of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC).

Despite congratulating the NDC for electing its Presidential Candidate and 260 Parliamentary Candidates, GII said videos and reports of inducement of voters, though not widespread, marred the beauty of the primaries .

“It is on this basis that GII is calling for further investigations into the reports of the distribution of cash, gifts, and other inducements by contestants and establish the extent to which it is in violation of Section 20(1) of the Representation of the People Act (Act 699),” it said in a statement on Monday, May 15.

The Office of Special Prosecutor (OSP) on Monday invited an aspirant at Ejura Sekyedumase Constituency, Juliana Kinang-Wassan, for openly distributing cash to voters.

Backing the OSP for initiating the investigations, GII asked the Electoral Commission, Ghana (EC) to also invoke its powers under Act 29.

“We pray that the full length of the law is explored to control what has come to be known as the monetisation of the country’s elections.

“The Electoral Commission should also evoke its powers of disqualification to disqualify candidate(s) and Political Parties who fall foul of Sessions 240, 241, and 249 of the Criminal Offence Act, 1960 (Act 29).”

It called on all stakeholders to ensure that next year’s elections are held “with the highest standards of political integrity so that winners and losers will accept the outcome graciously”.