A member of the New Patriotic Party communication team, Awal Mohammed, has accused the National Democratic Congress of endorsing vote buying after clearing Mohammed Baba Jamal Ahmed of wrongdoing in the Ayawaso East primaries.
Speaking on Metro TV’s Good Morning Ghana with Moro Awudu, Awal Mohammed criticised the NDC leadership for what he described as a failure to take decisive action against those implicated in allegations that marred the integrity of the party’s recent primaries in the constituency.
He referred to comments by the NDC General Secretary, Fiifi Fiavi Kwetey, who was reported in the Daily Graphic as saying that all five aspirants admitted to incidents related to vote buying.
According to Awal, the General Secretary indicated that due to time constraints, the party would expand its investigative committee to conclude its work and sanction anyone found culpable.
“As captured in the Daily Graphic, the General Secretary of the NDC said all five aspirants admitted to the vote buying incident at Ayawaso East, but due to time constraint they will expand the committee investigating the matter to finalise the issue and anyone found culpable will be sanctioned,” Awal said.
However, he argued that the party’s decision to clear Baba Jamal sends the wrong message.
“It is unfortunate they have cleared Baba Jamal from the vote buying incident, which clearly means they endorse it,” he stated.
The Ayawaso East NDC primaries were overshadowed by claims that some aspirants distributed money and items to delegates. Some delegates alleged that they received televisions, motorbikes, bags of rice and cash from candidates seeking the party’s endorsement.
Despite the controversy, Mohammed Baba Jamal Ahmed, a former High Commissioner of Ghana to Nigeria, won the primary.
He defeated his closest contender, Hajia Amina Adams, wife of the late Member of Parliament for the area, to secure the NDC ticket for the by-election scheduled for March 3.
The allegations have sparked debate within political circles about internal party discipline and the credibility of primary elections, as both major parties prepare for the upcoming by election in Ayawaso East.
