The National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) has urged the electorate to reject inducements from political parties or candidates on Election Day, as Ghana prepares for the polls on Saturday, December 7, 2024.
The advice comes after a viral video showed team members of the incumbent Member of Parliament for Ayawaso West Wuogon, Lydia Seyram Alhassan, distributing items to voters during the Special Voting exercise in the constituency.
Dr. Imrana Mohammed, NCCE Director of Programmes, condemned the act, stressing that it undermined electoral integrity and violated the country’s electoral laws.
Speaking at a voter education event for women’s groups in Odododiodio, he warned that such inducement practices could harm the country’s development and urged the electorate to remain vigilant.
“Our laws frown on vote buying, it frowns on voter inducement.
“There are sufficient institutional arrangements at the polling station to cater for everything. Political parties send their agents when they send them, they give them food.
“When security personnel have to go and vote their institutions make arrangements to give them food, so, broadly speaking, taking food to polling stations, probably if it is for your specific party agents that’s okay, but there are instances where it is distributed to everybody in queue from a candidate, those acts are not to be encouraged,” he said.
Mr. Mohammed cautioned voters that accepting gifts in exchange for their votes would undermine the country’s development, leaving citizens with little leverage to hold leaders accountable for their actions and decisions.
“When you sell your vote today, you are deferring your difficulties to the future, people who use money to get your vote when they come into power, they only first of all be concerned about how they recoup their money with profit before thinking of you and how to develop your community for you,” he stressed.
Mr. Mohammed urged political parties and their candidates to play by the rules governing the electoral process to ensure a free, fair and transparent exercise.
He also commended the Special Prosecutor for initiating investigations into the Ayawaso West Wuogon incident.
The sensitization exercise, organized by the NCCE in the Ashiedu Keteke Sub-Metro with support from the UNDP, aimed to promote women’s participation in the electoral process for greater inclusivity.
The initiative also sought to raise voter awareness about election day “dos and don’ts” to strengthen Ghana’s democratic governance.
Mrs. Gloria Amarkai Kudo, Deputy NCCE Director for Greater Accra, encouraged women to actively participate in the elections by casting their ballots.
She said that women, who made up more than half of the Ghanaian population, had a critical role in choosing competent leaders based on policies for the upcoming December 7 elections.
“Voting is not just about thumb printing a ballot but making a decision that would have a long term impact on you and your family,” Mrs. Kudo cautioned.
Mrs. Kudo urged the public to ignore false information suggesting that the elections would be held on two separate days, reaffirming that the polls were scheduled for Saturday, December 7, 2024.
Mr. Gabriel Bekoe Ofori, Assistant Director of the NCCE for Ashiedu Keteke Sub-Metro, advised voters against taking pictures of their ballots, as doing so could result in legal consequences.
He also called for respect and cooperation with Electoral Commission officials to ensure a smooth and peaceful electoral process.
Source: GNA
