Asiedu Nketia: Ghana Police Must Probe Vote-Buying in Party Elections

• Johnson Asiedu Nketia, National Chairman of the NDC, urged police to investigate vote-buying in internal political party elections.
• He argued that such conduct constitutes criminal behavior requiring state intervention, not merely party discipline.
• The Office of the Special Prosecutor Ghana is investigating allegations of television sets distributed to delegates in the NDC Ayawaso East primary in February 2026.
• Current law, PNDCL 284, criminalizes bribery in public elections but does not explicitly extend to internal party contests.
• A Private Members' Bill, announced by Speaker Alban Bagbin in March 2026, aims to extend criminal sanctions for vote-buying to party primaries.

He contended that state institutions bear the responsibility to uphold the nation's laws, irrespective of the political affiliations of those involved.

National Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketia, recently urged Ghana's police and other security agencies to actively investigate and address instances of criminal conduct occurring within internal political party elections. Speaking in an interview on Friday, November 13, Mr. Nketia emphasized that allegations of vote-buying should not be confined to internal party disciplinary processes. He contended that state institutions bear the responsibility to uphold the nation's laws, irrespective of the political affiliations of those involved.

Mr. Nketia clarified that while providing support to party members is not inherently problematic, the practice becomes unacceptable when gifts and financial incentives are deployed to sway voting decisions and secure political positions. He stressed that such actions, particularly when they involve the purchase of positions, undermine democratic principles. He called upon security agencies to act decisively whenever they encounter behaviors that violate criminal statutes, arguing that party regulations alone are insufficient to effectively manage such offenses.

He further asserted that all citizens are subject to national laws, and attempting to subordinate these laws to party rules is fundamentally incorrect and contributes to the problem. While acknowledging that political parties have a duty to caution their members and enforce internal guidelines, Mr. Nketia maintained that this responsibility should not deter state institutions from intervening when criminal conduct is suspected. He urged security services to demonstrate courage and proceed with necessary measures, just as they would with any other criminal matter, without waiting for the leadership of either the NDC or the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) to initiate disciplinary action.

These remarks by Johnson Asiedu Nketia arrive amidst ongoing concerns regarding the use of monetary and material inducements to influence delegates during internal Ghana political party elections. The issue gained renewed prominence following allegations of inducements during the NDC parliamentary primary in Ayawaso East in February 2026. This incident prompted the Office of the Special Prosecutor Ghana to launch an investigation into claims that television sets were distributed to delegates, further intensifying calls for more robust measures to safeguard the integrity of party elections.

The controversy surrounding vote-buying criminal conduct Ghana has highlighted a significant gap within the nation's electoral legislation. Currently, Section 33 of the Representation of the People Law, 1992 (PNDCL 284), explicitly criminalizes bribery aimed at influencing voters in public elections. However, the existing legal framework does not explicitly extend these same electoral offenses to contests held within political parties. This legislative omission means that while the Office of the Special Prosecutor can investigate, the direct application of public election bribery laws to internal party primaries remains ambiguous.

In response to these identified shortcomings and the growing public demand for accountability, Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin announced in March 2026 that a Private Members' Bill was under parliamentary consideration. This proposed legislation aims to address various forms of misconduct during party primaries and by-elections. A key objective of these legislative reforms is to broaden the scope of criminal sanctions, ensuring they encompass vote-buying and other forms of electoral malpractice that occur within internal party elections.

The push for greater police involvement in combating vote-buying in Ghana political party elections, championed by figures like Johnson Asiedu Nketia, underscores a critical evolution in the country's democratic governance. The integrity of internal party processes is fundamental to the broader credibility of national elections, as these primaries often determine who will represent major political forces. When these internal contests are perceived as compromised by financial inducements, it erodes public trust in the entire political system and the fairness of democratic outcomes.

This development signals a growing recognition that electoral offenses, regardless of whether they occur in public or internal party settings, constitute a threat to the rule of law. The proposed Alban Bagbin Private Members' Bill, seeking to extend criminal sanctions to internal party elections, represents a significant step towards reinforcing this principle. It suggests a move away from viewing internal party malpractices as mere private affairs, instead positioning them as matters of public interest requiring state intervention and legal enforcement.

Lawyers should advise political clients on the increasing scrutiny of vote-buying in internal party elections in Ghana, particularly given calls for police intervention and proposed legislative reforms to extend criminal sanctions beyond public elections. Compliance officers in political organizations must monitor these developments to ensure internal election practices align with evolving legal expectations and avoid potential criminal liability.

Source: Original reporting via Myjoyonline.com