Accra, Ghana – [February 8 2026]
The formation of a three-member committee by the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) to investigate vote-buying allegations levelled against Honorable Baba Jamal during the Ayawaso East parliamentary primary; and His Excellency the President’s immediate recall of the accused (Baba Jamal) from his role as Ghana’s High Commissioner to Nigeria pending the outcome of the investigations is a noble step, taken in the right direction by the NDC under the distinct and transformative leadership of H.E. President John Dramani Mahama.
The leadership of ‘Service Progressive Alliance (SPA)” cogitates the entire scenario as an awakening and self-realizing encounter that cannot be resisted by any force at this point in time, considering the fact that the vote-buying phenomenon gradually become a standard practice among most lead political actors in the country.
For a political party like the NDC to muster the courage to call for a probe into a matter of this nature is a phenomenal action that deserves commendation and that is what we the leadership of SPA is here to do.
The current delegate system being operated in Ghana has been plagued by vote-buying and other forms of electoral malpractices; which undermines the very integrity of our democracy and this is simply because our choice to give a small group of delegates’ disproportionate influence over the selection of candidates creates enabling environment ripe for corruption and undue influence.
It is saddening to see political leadership pretending to be against what they practically practice and benefit from in secrete; by using innocent individuals as scapegoats to score political points.
To us as leaders of SPA, we believe beyond every reasonable doubt, that any individual or group of individuals who uphold truth and considers the vote-buying syndrome a combatant against the progress of our democracy would rather begin to advocate against the delegate system which is the bedrock of this evil and destructive phenomenon, and rather seek a more inclusive participation of legible voters in every constituency, irrespective of the person’s political affiliation; and this is what SPA proposes for the consideration of all well-meaning Ghanaians.
Our proposal would allow all eligible voters within a constituency to participate in the selection of their preferred candidate, reducing the influence of money and party leadership on the outcome.
This would not only increase transparency and accountability but also ensure that candidates are more representative of the people they seek to serve.
We believe that this reform has the potential to revitalize our democracy, promote good governance, and restore the trust of citizens in the electoral process.
We urge the government, political parties and all stakeholders to consider this proposal seriously and work towards creating a more inclusive and representative electoral system.
We call on the government to lead the practical implementation wth amendment of political parties’ law ACT574 to empower the broader constituents to choose their preferred potential MPs for the respective political parties rather than the political parties.
We are confident that together, we can build a brighter future for Ghana, where the will of the people is truly reflected in the leadership of our country.
Sign….
Nana Otupiri Darko
General Secretary
Service Progressive Alliance
