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 Indian, Mike Oquaye Jnr.
Others include Deputy Minister of Communications, George Andah; Eastern Regional Minister, Kwakye Darfour; 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 effect from 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,” according to the report.
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.
Adentan 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.
Nkawkaw
Incumbent MP and Eastern Regional Minister, Eric Kwakye Darffuor slugged it out with five others for the nod of 709 delegates. He ran against Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Middle Belt Development Authority Joyce Opoku Boateng, ex-MPs Seth Agyei Baah and Kwabena Adusah Okerchiri, Ghana Publishing Company Limited MD, David Boateng Asante, and Nkawkaw Senior High School tutor, Joseph Frimpong.
Joseph Frimpong won the day with 206 votes in the Nkawkaw Constituency but not without the accusation that he allegedly offered each of the 450 selected delegates GHc2,000 and a flat-screen television or Bruhm refrigerator.
Corruption Watch learnt that two days to the polls, he initially gave GHc1,000 to each of the 450 delegates and topped it up with a flat-screen television set or refrigerator depending on the choice of each delegate.
Then, on the day of voting, when news went viral that one of the aspirants was giving GHc2,000 to delegates, Frimpong’s team allegedly moved in to give additional GHc1,000 to the delegates.
Incumbent MP Eric Kwakye Darffuor, who polled 159 votes and placed second, allegedly gave some money and an item of value to delegates.
Ex-MP and board chairman of MASLOC, Seth Agyei Baah, who garnered 156 and secured third place, also allegedly gave GHc2000 to each of the 250 selected delegates.
The sole female aspirant and lawyer, Joyce Opoku Boateng, who finished fourth, obtained 82 amidst allegations that she gave Ghc400 each to an unspecified number of delegates.
Eyewitnesses claim that even though the money was shared to delegates by her campaign coordinator, candidate Opoku Boateng, she was part of the team that personally moved from house to house to give out the money to the delegates.
The claim against David Boateng Asante, who received 73 votes and placed fifth, is that he supposedly gave to each of an unspecified number of targeted delegates GHc500 plus a gas cylinder and a burner.
Another ex-MP, Kwabena Adusah Okerchiri, polled 28 votes and finished at the bottom of the pack. It is alleged that he gave money to each delegate but varied the amount as he gave some GHc200 and others GHc100 depending on each person’s loyalty towards him.
Corruption Watch reached out to them for their response to the allegation of payment of money and items of value to delegates.
Joseph Frimpong denied ever distributing money, TV set or refrigerator to delegates and insisted that he was a teacher and the “poorest” among the candidates. He, however, admitted giving “a token” to delegates, which amount he declined to say.
Eastern Regional Minister Kwakye Darffuor refused to discuss the allegations of making payments to delegates. However, he said all politicians commonly know that in every election a candidate has to provide for the transportation and feeding of delegates.
Responding to the allegations Seth Agyei Baah told Corruption Watch that he was not in a position to confirm or deny the allegations of sharing GHc2,000 to 250 delegates. He said he went to an election and lost and wants to get over the shock of losing the election.
In the case of Joyce Opoku Boateng, she admitted giving “everybody” an amount of GHc400. She explained that it is a practice that during periods such as primaries candidates give an incentive for delegates to know that “you are a person of substance who is coming to be there for them.”
Ex-MP Kwabena Adusah Okerchiri admitted giving money to delegates but said it was for their “transport and what they would eat.”
He justified his action, saying that everybody gives something to delegates during elections regardless of which political party is organizing the polls.
Boateng Asante did not respond to our calls and text messages.
Awutu Senya West
Multiple sources in the Awutu Senya West Constituency of the Central Region alleged that the campaign team of both candidates gave money to the delegates in the election which incumbent MP and Deputy Minister of Communications, George Andah won.
Mr. Andah parried claims of giving money and other items of value to delegates when contacted by Corruption Watch even though he had said after winning the primary that he gave a “token’’ to delegates.
When Corruption Watch contacted Mr. Aidoo, he denied giving delegates any money, arguing that he lacks the financial capacity to do that.
According to him, apart from food and drinks which every delegate benefited from, he only gave some delegates transportation each time they had to transport themselves to meet him.
He said the amount per delegate was dependent on the cost of transportation from the individual locations, adding that he gave some as low as Ghc20 as transportation.
–
