NPP Polls: Bullion Vans filled with money were allowed on election grounds to buy votes – Adum Bawuah
Kofi Adum Bawuah, a regional chairman aspirant in the just ended New Patriotic Party(NPP) elections in the Ashanti Region has alleged incidence of vote buying during the polls which took place at the Heroes park at the Baba Yara Staduim in Kumasi on Saturday, May 29, 2022.
In a petition to the National Executive Council(NEC) dated Monday, May 30, 2022 and sighted by purefmonline.com, the petitioner alleges among other things that ‘some candidates were allowed to drive bullion vans filled with money into the stadium to distribute to delegates to influence and corrupt their minds and for that matter the massive votes buying from the delegates on election grounds’
The petitioner further stated;
”Some candidates (NPP)were given preferential treatment than others, whereas rules were applied differently and there were attempts to present fake and unqualified voters to vote as delegates to vote.
Kofi Adum Bawuah is however seeking the office of the NEC to form a committee of enquiry pursuant to article 3(D) (I) to enquire into the matter for the discipline and indictment if necessary to the perpetrators, so that the future elections of the officials of the NPP will not suffer the same fate.
”I will be looking forward to see some action on this request after seven days after which I will take that the internal avenues have been exhausted then I will advise myself.”, the petition stated.
Another defeated candidate, Robert Asare Bediako has also revealed how he paid at least GH¢1,000 to each delegate on the election day and still lost.
He explained that but for the monetization before and during the elections, he would have won the election hands down but close contenders were the highest bidders, giving credence to the allegations made by Adum Bawuah his contender.
Mr Asare Bediako, also alleged; “whiles I was paying each delegate GH¢1,000, I thought I would win but some paid more than me so the delegates also gave in to the highest bidder and it’s very worrying the trend of monetization in our body politics”.
In a related development, Member of Parliament for Bawku, Mahama Ayariga has petitioned the Special Prosecutor to investigate alleged issues of “bribery and corruption and undue influence” during the congresses of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) to elect regional executives of the party.
“I write to draw your attention to widespread reports on the social media, which were equally discussed on the radio, that the offences of corruption, bribery, treating and undue influence did take place at the congresses of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) to elect regional executives of the NPP in all the regions of Ghana.
Source: Purefmonline.com| Ghana| 2022