The General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Fifi Fiavi Kwetey, has accused the New Patriotic Party (NPP) of failing to address what he described as “massive vote-buying” during its recent presidential flagbearer race.
His remarks follow criticisms from some NPP members regarding alleged irregularities in the NDC’s Ayawaso East parliamentary primary.
Speaking on TV3’s Hot Issues on Sunday, February 15, Mr. Kwetey said vote-buying remains a pervasive challenge within Ghana’s political system. He argued that while concerns have been raised about the NDC’s internal elections, the issue cuts across party lines and reflects a deeper, systemic problem.
Responding to calls for the nullification of the Ayawaso East primary over allegations of vote-buying, Mr. Kwetey explained that such a decision would have placed the NDC at a serious disadvantage. According to him, the Electoral Commission of Ghana would not have adjusted its electoral timetable to accommodate a fresh primary.
“If you tell the Electoral Commission to nullify our election, how are they going to ensure that we get another candidate? They were not going to change their timetable because of us, so we end up in a situation where we have no candidate,” he stated. He stressed that the party could not risk losing what he described as its parliamentary seat under those circumstances.
Mr. Kwetey further argued that the NPP, despite allegedly experiencing similar challenges during its own presidential primary, failed to take corrective action. “We are not going to just allow the NPP to take our seat for nowhere — especially a party that just did their presidential primary and there was massive vote-buying, but they don’t even have the conscience to initiate a move like we have done,” he said.
He concluded by acknowledging that vote-buying has become normalized in Ghana’s political culture, compelling many politicians to engage in the practice. Mr. Kwetey called for broader political and societal reforms to address the growing monetisation of internal party elections and safeguard Ghana’s democratic process.
