A new report by the Centre for Democratic Development (CDD Ghana), through its anti-corruption campaign platform, Corruption Watch, has cited some top government officials alleged to have induced voters in the recently-held parliamentary primaries of the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
The investigative piece, as published, focuses on the Greater Accra, Eastern, Central and Bono regions.
Some of the notable names in the list are the Communications Director of the NPP, Yaw Buaben Asamoa, Minister of State in charge of Procurement, Sarah Adwoa Safo and Ghana’s High Commissioner to Ghana, Mike Oquaye Jnr. ,
Others include Deputy Minister of Communications, George Andah; Eastern Regional Minister, Kwakye Darffuor; and Deputy Minister for Education, Gifty Twum-Ampofo.
All of them are said to have allegedly influenced delegates using money and other items to garner votes.
Dome Kwabenya
Sarah Adwoa Safo is alleged to have given GHS3,000 and a GLICO Life Insurance package worth GHS10,000 to delegates in the primary.
Also mentioned in the second part of the Corruption Watch exposé is Madam Safo’s contender and Ghana’s High Commissioner to India, Michael Aaron Oquaye Jr.
He is alleged to have given GHc3,000, a 32-inch Nasco flat screen television set and an Indian-made cloth to 500 delegates.
Both candidates are said to have targeted 500 delegates, the number they needed to win the polls.
Checks by Corruption Watch at GLICO insurance revealed that the packages took from effect June 17, 2020 – three days prior to the election and expires on June 16, 2021.
The “Insurance Interest” was for the benefit of “Delegates of the Dome Kwabenya Constituency.”
When Mr. Oquaye was contacted for his response to the allegations he said, “the election was over and he has put everything about the election behind him.
Adwoa Safo failed to respond to the request for comments when the team tried to reach her.
A follow-up letter from the anti-corruption group was submitted to her through the Director of Public Affairs at the Procurement Ministry, Solomon Sasu Mensah.
After following up with phone calls to Sasu Mensah, he said Madam Safo “wasn’t entertaining visitors over COVID-19 fears.”
Corruption Watch stated that they requested a telephone interview but she has still not responded to the calls, a week after the request was made.
Adenta Constituency
In the Adentan Constituency, where incumbent MP Yaw Buaben Asamoa won the election, garnering 422 out of the 739 valid votes to beat four other contenders, there were alleged payments in the forms of cash and machinery made to delegates.
Buaben Asamoa, who is also the NPP’s National Communications Director, allegedly made some payments to some delegates through his campaign team on the night of 19th June and the morning of the election.
Emmanuel Mantey, who got 217 votes and finished as the runner-up to MP Buaben Asamoa, allegedly distributed GHC200 to delegates through his agents.
On his part, Rahman Zak, who placed third with 83 votes, purportedly dished out GHC500 to an unspecified number of delegates through his ‘agents’ on the day of voting.
Alfred Ababio Kumi, who came forth with 10 votes, went into the race with a pledge to donate a total of 516 tricycles (aboboyas). He intended to give 16 fully-funded tricycles to the party to use for income-generation activities in the 16 electoral areas in the constituency. His reward for delegates was that he would distribute 500 tricycles to 500 delegates, subsidised by 50%.
Corruption Watch’s undercover reporters could not establish that Freda Agyemang Sarpong, who polled seven (7) votes, made any offers or actually made any payments to delegates.
When Corruption Watch contacted MP Buaben Asamoa, he declined to discuss the allegations of offering money to delegates. He indicated that the primaries were over and he had moved on.
On the other hand, Mantey admitted to giving money to delegates but said it was not intended to influence the way they voted.
According to him, he gave each delegate an amount between GHC200-300 to cover their transportation costs. He admitted giving each delegate “a very decent” lunch pack that included water and a beverage.
He disclosed that from the day he decided to contest the primaries, he began to invest in all delegates.
He estimated that each of the over 770 delegates may have benefitted from him to the tune of GHC3,000 during the past year. Cumulatively, that works up to a minimum of GHc2.3 million.
Zak denied giving delegates GHc500 per person. Instead, he said he only paid GHc50 and GHc100 to his agents for transportation.
On the other hand, Alfred Ababio Kumi admitted making pledges to donate a total of 516 tricycles to the party and delegates. However, he said this was not an inducement. He disclosed that he has already delivered the first two of the 16 tricycles he is donating to electoral areas in the constituency.
Abuakwa North
Incumbent MP, Gifty Twum Ampofo, who won the primary with 150 of the valid votes cast, allegedly gave GHc1,500 and a flat-screen TV set to each delegate. Her challengers: Mr. Kay Amoah who polled 116 votes allegedly gave each delegate GHc500, in addition to a table-top refrigerator or flat-screen TV, while Kofi Obeng, who garnered 112 votes, also paid GHc500 to each delegate.
CW’s undercover reporters could not establish that Nana Serwaa Acheampong, who polled 35 votes, offered any cash or material gifts to delegates.
When Corruption Watch contacted MP Gifty Twum Ampofo for her response, she admitted giving the GHc1,500 and TV each to delegates but said she doesn’t consider that an inducement, as this is not the first time she has given gifts to delegates in her constituency, citing fridges she gave each delegate during Easter this year.
When Corruption Watch contacted Kofi Obeng, he admitted giving Ghc500 each to some delegates but said the money was paid on his behalf by his financier. According to him, the money was meant to cover the cost of transportation and accommodation for the delegates, some of whom came from distant locations.
All efforts to reach Mr. Kay Amoah for his response failed.
The post Corruption Watch exposes top government officials who engaged in vote-buying during NPP’s primaries appeared first on Citinewsroom - Comprehensive News in Ghana.
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