The Deputy Communications Director of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Anthony Karbo, has called for a probe into the National Democratic Congress (NDC) following revelations of “financial inducement” during the party’s primaries.
This call is on the back of the confession from the former Deputy Minister of Gender and Social Protection, Rachel Appoh, who claims to have paid some of her constituents in Gomoa Central to vote for President John Mahama during NDC primaries held over the weekend.
Speaking on Citi News, Anthony Karbo said the fact that people were paid to vote yes was a “telling indictment on the entire election.”
[contextly_sidebar id=”NS8cEs7PisJJPnZEjNbrUN92717jgOxf”]He said that the NDC, as the ruling party, are supposed to set an example by working to stamp out vote-buying saying they must not give credence that culture that “can destroy our democracy.”
He condemned vote-buying saying that there is “onus on those who are in charge of the public purse to demonstrate a certain level of behavior that will not give credence to that culture especially when you are in charge of the state resources.”
He added that “When vote-buying goes on in a ruling government, a government that has been given the mandate to manage the state resources … it leaves Ghanaians very worried especially when the economy is not doing well.”
Anthony Karbo also rubbished claims that a number of people who voted No against President Mahama were NPP members.
“The over 50,000 people who voted no for the president indeed were not members of the opposition party as the NDC wants us to believe but indeed members of the their own party who disapprove of the leadership of the president.”
Anthony Karbo stressed that the allegations of vote-buying were especially serious since the president’s 95.10 percent endorsement in the primaries was only a representation of about half of the over-2 million NDC members registered to vote.
He noted the 61,000 No votes coupled with the non-participation of some 1 million registered members of the party is evidence of dissatisfaction with President Mahama.
“Over about 1 million people of the NDC fraternity, members of the NDC, card bearing members for that matter didn’t turn out to vote or never participated in this election so clearly the president’s 94 percent or 95 percent is only as a result of half of the number of people who, the 1.1 people who turned out to vote; about 50 percent of the membership of the NDC. This should tell you that there is a lot more to these elections that were conducted and that fact members of the NDC themselves were not happy with president, his performance and his governance.”
When asked to respond to allegations of vote-buying within the opposition NPP he stated that “vote-buying irrespective of the party you come form is condemnable “and added that “vote buying as a principle of our democracy must be condemned.”
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By Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana