Senanu questions NDC’s commitment to tackling vote-buying

Anti-corruption campaigner Edem Senanu has criticised the National Democratic Congress (NDC) leadership for what he considers an inadequate response to allegations of vote-buying during the party’s recent constituency executive elections, warning that the handling of the matter risks damaging the party’s image and ethical standing. He said the party should demonstrate accountability by committing to investigate credible allegations, rather than appearing to suggest that action would depend on evidence supplied by its own members.

Mr Senanu made the comments on Joy News’ PM Express on Tuesday, October 27, in reaction to remarks by the NDC National Deputy General Secretary, Rashid Tanko, on the controversy surrounding the internal elections. “I find [Rashid] Tanko’s response challenging and not demonstrating adequate leadership in terms of accountability,” he said. Mr Senanu argued that responsible party leadership should welcome evidence of possible wrongdoing from any source and take steps to establish the facts, irrespective of whether the information came from within or outside the party.

He said the suggestion that the party needed evidence from its own people before being satisfied that vote-buying had occurred was troubling and could undermine efforts to address the practice. “That kind of implication, that trajectory does not carry us all along. We won’t get you the results you want,” he said. Timing of gifts raises questions Mr Senanu said the timing of the distribution of items, including television sets, during the constituency elections raised questions about the intentions behind the gifts.

He explained that vote-buying involved the provision of an inducement by a political party, candidate or representative with the intention of securing the recipient’s vote. “In this context, you cannot tell me that these TVs and what have you were flying a month ago. They were happening at the exact time. So the intention of what they wanted to achieve is there,” he said.

He maintained that whether candidates who distributed the items eventually won or lost was not the central issue. “Whether they won or not is not material,” he said. According to him, the timing of the alleged distribution was an important consideration in determining whether the items were intended to influence delegates’ choices. “The extent that these things were being given at that time tells us there was a clear intention to harvest votes,” he said.

The claims, however, require proper investigation to establish the circumstances surrounding the distribution of the items and whether they were intended to influence voting decisions. Calls for prompt investigation Mr Senanu said the absence of a sufficiently firm response from the party leadership, nearly 48 hours after the issue was raised, was worrying and risked conveying the impression that the allegations were not being treated with the seriousness they deserved.

He said the party’s reputation could suffer even if the evidence did not come from its own members. “If it’s not your own people who are providing the evidence, but it’s available, it taints the image. It reduces the ethical standards of the party,” he said. He called on the leadership to adopt a more proactive approach by inviting anyone with relevant information to submit it and then initiating an investigation.

“I would rather leadership say that we haven’t seen it, but please provide it. We will immediately ensure that we look into the matter,” he said. Mr Senanu said such a response would demonstrate a commitment to accountability and reassure members and the public that the party was prepared to confront allegations of wrongdoing within its ranks. “That’s the way that we demonstrate responsiveness and accountable leadership,” he added.

He expressed concern that the passage of time without a clear response suggested the party might not fully appreciate the seriousness of the matter. “Forty-eight hours after, and we still haven’t seen, we haven’t heard. That is very worrying. It does not show a sensitivity to the fact that this is a very important issue, and it suggests that the party itself is not taking this as serious enough,” he said.

Electoral integrity at stake The controversy has renewed attention on the role of money and gifts in internal party elections, where candidates compete for positions that influence party organisation and leadership. Mr Senanu’s argument is that the integrity of such contests must be protected regardless of whether the alleged inducements change the final outcome.

A credible response, he said, requires party officials to examine the available evidence, explain their actions and demonstrate that rules on electoral conduct are taken seriously. The NDC’s handling of the allegations is therefore likely to be judged not only by the findings of any investigation but also by how promptly and transparently the party responds to concerns about its internal democratic processes.