The General Secretary of the party, Fifi Fiavi Kwetey, who was part of the party’s Functional Executive Committee that received an inquiry from a three-member committee’s probe into allegation of vote-buying, mentioned that time constraints, potential legal challenges that may arise if the party decided to annul the results, and the lack of clear provisions in the party’s constitution to guide such situations were the reasons for maintaining Baba Jamal as the validly elected parliamentary candidate.
He further disclosed that all the candidates admitted to inappropriate conduct per the report, and added that the party would take appropriate measures against all of them.
The party, in the meantime, has decided to expand the three-member committee established to inquire into the matter to seven members to enable the committee to conduct a more thorough investigation into the allegations.
The General Secretary insisted that all candidates would face equal sanctions.
Earlier, the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) invited Baba Jamal for interrogation.
He was released on self-recognisance bail following hours of interrogation on vote-buying allegations linked to the party’s parliamentary primary.
His lawyer, Victor Kwadjoga Adawudu, who confirmed this to the Daily Graphic, added that Baba Jamal was also interrogated on an alleged assault on an officer of the OSP who was sent to submit an invitation letter to the parliamentary candidate.
Counsel for Mr Jamal maintained that his client was not aware that items were being distributed in his name, adding that “if he, being a lawyer, was aware, he would have told the people the position of the law”.
Background
Following allegations of vote-buying and inducement during the Ayawaso East parliamentary primary held last Saturday, the party established a three-member committee to look into the matter.
The committee, chaired by a former Minister of Information, Kofi Totobi Quakyi, with a former Member of Parliament for Tamale Central, Alhaji Inusah Fuseini, and a legal practitioner, Emefa Fugah, as members, probed the allegations and made appropriate recommendations, including recommending sanctions to the Functional Executive Committee, which is chaired by the party’s National Chairman, Asiedu Nketia.
The committee’s mandate also included making recommendations on sustainable measures and reforms to decisively end the practice of inducement and vote-buying in the party’s internal electoral processes.
This came after President John Dramani Mahama recalled Mr Jamal from Nigeria as High Commissioner over the vote-buying allegations.
Mr Jamal polled 431 of the 964 valid votes to emerge tops in the five-person contest.
His closest challenge came from Hajia Amina Adam, widow of the former Member of Parliament (MP) of the constituency, who polled 399 votes.
The other three candidates polled a combined 134 votes. Total delegates eligible to vote in the primary were 1,047.
But viral videos of supposed voter inducement in the constituency pointed fingers at Mr Jamal, then Ghana’s High Commissioner to Nigeria.
Mr Jamal subsequently explained that he had shown generosity towards acquaintances at Christmas and other festive occasions, and that the 32-inch TV sets and other souvenirs were not intended to induce any of the beneficiaries to vote in a particular way.
Source:
www.graphic.com.gh