Executive Director of the Media Foundation for West Africa, Sulemana Braimah, has described the National Democratic Congress’s decision to maintain Baba Jamal as its Ayawaso East candidate as an opportunity to intensify monitoring of money in politics across all parties.
Speaking on the Joy Super Morning Show on Wednesday, Mr Braimah acknowledged that while vote-buying is a widespread problem in Ghanaian politics, the Baba Jamal controversy presents a chance for activists to track and confront the practice more systematically.
“What it therefore means is that it provides an opportunity for close monitoring, for close assessment in everything relating to whether parliamentary primaries, presidential primaries, national executive officer elections, regional executive officer elections, and district level executive officer elections,” he said.
The media advocate’s comments follow the NDC’s decision to allow Baba Jamal to contest the March 3 by-election despite the party’s investigative committee confirming that vote-buying occurred during the February 7 primary.
NDC General Secretary Fifi Fiavi Kwetey cited time constraints, potential legal challenges, and lack of clear constitutional provisions for annulment as reasons for maintaining Baba Jamal as the party’s candidate.
Mr Braimah noted that while the party’s explanation centres on constitutional and procedural constraints, the situation should galvanise civil society to intensify scrutiny of electoral processes.
“It presents an opportunity for us as Ghanaians, as advocates and activists, to closely monitor what will happen and to bring any perpetrators of money in politics to the attention of the leadership of the party to see whether they will take action or not,” he stated.
The MFWA boss emphasised that money in politics is not limited to the NDC, noting that the New Patriotic Party and other political parties face similar challenges.
“It’s not just the NDC, the NPP, it also happens,” Mr Braimah said, adding that continued tolerance of the practice is unacceptable.
He argued that while Ghanaians recognise vote-buying as a persistent problem, confronting it requires systematic monitoring across all political party activities, including the NDC’s upcoming district-level executive officer elections.
Baba Jamal, who won the primary with 431 votes against Hajia Amina Adam’s 399 votes, was recalled from his position as Ghana’s High Commissioner to Nigeria following the controversy.
The Office of the Special Prosecutor continues to investigate the allegations separately from the party’s internal probe.
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Source: www.myjoyonline.com
