The Chief Executive Officer of the Consumer Protection Agency, Kofi Kapito, has criticised the practice of distributing food and other incentives to voters during political primaries, describing it as unethical and harmful to Ghana’s democratic process.
Speaking on Joy News AM about voter inducement in party primaries, Kapito stressed that the issue cuts across political lines.
“It’s not just an NDC thing. It’s a Ghana thing,” he said.
He acknowledged that certain technical interpretations may allow such practices but warned that public perception tells a different story.
“When the masses don’t buy the technicalities, it becomes a problem,” he noted.
Ethics and accountability
Kapito argued that the deeper issue is a broader ethical deficit in the country. He questioned what happens to the principles taught in schools once people leave formal education.
“At the university, they teach ethics. The question is, what happens to us when we leave? We don’t even have ethics in this country,” he said, adding that the practice of voter inducement has persisted for years.
He suggested that the current controversy presents an opportunity to draw a clear line and insist that such conduct must stop.
Cultural patterns and political responsibility
Kapito linked voter inducement to wider cultural attitudes that, in his view, slow development.
“In other jurisdictions, when something wrong happens, they make sure it doesn’t happen again. Here, we give excuses. This person also did it. So what? Does it make it right?” he asked.
Reflecting on his experience as a first-time voter in 1992, he said such practices were not prevalent at the time and questioned how they became normalised.
He also rejected the expectation that political aspirants must offer handouts or material benefits to secure support.
“Why should you feed people to vote for you? Are they your children?” he asked, criticising the justification of inducement under labels such as welfare or support.
Ayawaso East primary controversy
Kapito’s comments come amid controversy surrounding the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Ayawaso East parliamentary primaries, where Mohammed Baba Jamal Ahmed has been accused of distributing items, including 32-inch television sets and boiled eggs, to delegates on voting day.
Despite the allegations, the NDC has confirmed Baba Jamal as its candidate for the Ayawaso East parliamentary by-election.
The party’s General Secretary, Fifi Fiavi Kwetey, who was part of the Functional Executive Committee that reviewed a three-member committee’s report on the matter, stated that annulling the primary was not considered a viable option.
He cited time constraints, the risk of legal challenges, and the absence of clear constitutional provisions within the party to address such situations as reasons for upholding the results and maintaining Baba Jamal as the duly elected candidate.
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