Press Release: GII and GACC condemn the flagrant violation of electoral laws by political parties

3rd December, 2024

The Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII), Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition (GACC) and the Ghana Center for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana) have observed with grave concerns the flagrant violation of Sections 33 and 34 of the Representation of the People Law, 1992 (PNDCL 284) by the two leading political parties (NDC and NPP) and condemn the conduct of sharing cooked food, bags of rice and cooking oil to prospective voters without any equivocation.

Section 33 of the Representation of the People Law, 1992 (PNDCL 284) forbids the payment of money or giving of gifts in the form of an inducement to a voter or the receiving of same by a voter.

Section 34 of the Representation of the People Law, 1992 (PNDCL 284) makes it an electoral offence of treating, if a person corruptly either themself or through another person, before, during or after an election gives or provides or pays wholly or in part the expenses of giving or providing meat, drink, entertainment or provision to or for any person;

for the purpose of corruptly influencing that person or another person to vote or refrain from voting; or
on account of that person or another person having voted or refrained from voting or being about to vote or refrain from voting; or
if he corruptly accepts or takes any meat, drink, entertainment or provision offered in the circumstances and for the purposes mentioned in paragraph (a) of this

These laws notwithstanding, evidence gathered from media reports shows representatives of the two leading political parties openly treating prospective voters in several constituencies. Mention can be made of;

Okaikoi South—It is alleged that NDC’s Ernest Adomako offered electorates chickens, money, and bags of rice (posted on social media on 1 December 2024).
In Ayawaso West Wuogon, NPP’s Lydia Alhassan reportedly distributed oil and bags of rice to Legon security guards (posted on social media on 27 November 2024).
Various reports also alleged that packs of food were distributed to voters in queues during special voting on the 2^nd December by the incumbent MP of Ayawaso West Wuogon (posted on social media on 2nd December 2024)

While there is the need for investigations by the competent authorities to establish the validity of the allegations and media reports it is important to alert the political parties involved and the general public that these perceived violations when substantiated will undermine the principles of fairness, transparency, and accountability essential for a free and fair elections.

It is instructive to caution the political parties involved that Ghanaians are watching with bated breath which one of them will cry foul if the outcome of the elections does not go their way since they are both dabbling in activities that are undermining the integrity of the election. As the saying goes “he who comes to equity must come with clean hands” or in other words “a person who claims equity must be free from any taint of fraud with respect to that claim”

We, call on Law Enforcement Agencies to investigate the videos in the public space and swiftly ensure those found culpable are made to face the law. A swift and transparent investigation into the cases of vote buying and treating reported by the media will be an important component of expanding Ghana’s democratic credentials as well as enhancing the confidence reposed in the electoral processes of our country.

Our three organisations also call on the media, faith-based organisations and the larger civil society to intensify voter education campaigns, raising awareness of the implications of electoral corruption to the electoral outcomes and the peace and stability of Ghana.

We further call on political parties and candidates to publicly distance themselves from corrupt practices and demonstrate a commitment to ethical standards relative to the 2024 elections. We wish to reiterate that GII and its partners, GACC and CDD-Ghana, are currently carrying out a large-scale monitoring exercise to capture instances of electoral corruption, vote buying, Abuse of state resources and campaign financing. The findings of this exercise will form the basis for our advocacy for reforming campaign and political financing in Ghana.

We urge all citizens to exercise their rights to vote responsibly, reject inducements, and hold political actors accountable. It will take the collective responsibility of all Ghanaians to safeguard the stability and development of our nation and so do your part by rejecting corruption.

Issued by:

Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII)

Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition (GACC)

Ghana Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana)

Website: www.tighana.org

Download press release here.

For further information and media engagements, contact GII:

Tel: 0302 760 884

Facebook: Ghana Integrity Initiative – GII Twitter: @GhanaIntegrity

Website: www.tighana.org

Mr. Solomon Nyankah

Monitoring and Evaluation Officer

Solomon Nyankah is the Monitoring and Evaluation Officer at the GACC. He is a hard-working, self-starter, team player, dedicated, and results-oriented person committed to rendering effective service to any organisation through continuous learning and self-development for the benefit of the organisation and society. He possesses excellent interpersonal, data collection, and management skills. Solomon is proficient in the Microsoft Office Suite (Word, PowerPoint, and Excel).

Prior to his appointment at GACC, Solomon worked with the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC) as a technical planning analyst in the Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Division. He joined the NDPC from 2017 to 2023. His duties included coordinating the preparation of the national Annual Progress Reports (APRs) from 2017 to 2022; the President's Coordinated Programme of Economic and Social Development Policies (CPESDP) 2021–2024, and the National Medium Term Development Policy Framework (NMTDPF) for 2018–2021 and 2022–2025. He also provided technical assistance in the preparation of the National Development Monitor; the SDG Voluntary National Review Reports (2019 and 2022; sector and district development plans and progress reports; and the mid-term evaluation of the medium-term National Development Policy Framework, "Agenda for Jobs, Creating Prosperity and Equal Opportunity for All, 2018 -2021". Solomon provided technical backstopping for district planning officers on participatory M&E; served as a national trainer on the District Development Data Platform (DDDP) for all regional economic planners, district planning officers, and MIS/statisticians in Ghana; and was a resource pe rson for an ECOWAS sensitization workshop on ECOWAS Protocols held in the Central Region. He also facilitated the mainstreaming of integrated social services indicators into district plans.

Solomon Nyankah holds a B.Sc. degree in Development Management from the University for Development Studies. Other training certificates include: Integrated Planning and Reporting Toolkit (IPRT) by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA); SDG Toolkits Integration, Monitoring, and Evaluation; and Data Visualisation and Advanced Data Visualisation (Tableau and Canvas) by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ).

Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ)

The Parliament of the Republic of Ghana in accordance with the provisions of the Fourth Republican Constitution in October 1993 enacted the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice Act (Act 456), to establish the Commission.

The commission seeks to foster a culture of respect for fundamental human rights and freedoms, as well as administrative justice and fairness in Ghanaian society. The commission also exist to promote integrity and decency in Ghanaian public life by investigating corruption and educating the public about its high costs and, conversely, the significant pay-offs of a relatively corrupt free society.

Section 7(10)(a)-(h) of the Commission’s enabling statute Act 456 spells out the functions of the Commission as follows:

Investigate complaints of violations of fundamental rights and freedoms, injustice, corruption, abuse of power and unfair treatment of any person by public officer in the exercise of his official duties;

Investigate complaints concerning the functioning of the Public Services Commission, the administrative Organs of the State, the Armed Forces, the Police Service in so far as complaints relate to the failure to achieve a balanced structuring of those services or equal access by all to the recruitment of those services or fair administration in relation to those services;

Investigate complaints concerning practices and actions by persons, private enterprises and other institutions where those complaints allege violations of fundamental rights and freedoms under this constitution;

Investigate allegations that a public officer has contravened or has not complied with a provision of the Code of Conduct for Public Officers. The Code requires that public officers shall declare their assets and liabilities on assumption of office, every four years, and on leaving office;

Investigate all instances of alleged or suspected corruption and the misappropriation of public moneys by officials and to take appropriate steps, including reports to the Attorney-General and the Auditor General, results from such investigations;

Educate the public as to human rights and freedom by such means as the Commissioner may decide, including publications, lectures and symposia;

Investigate confiscation of property made by the two previous military regimes, the Armed forces Revolutionary Council and the Provisional National Defence;

Report annually to Parliament on the performance of its functions.

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National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE)

Ms. Agnes Opoku Ayemang

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Ms. Pamela Laourou

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Ms. Dorcas Affum Tenkorang

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Mr. Isaac Bakoe

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Ms. Priscilla Opoku

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Mr. Christian Atteh Semekor

Finance Officer

Mr. Solomon Nyankah

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Mr. Samuel Harrison-Cudjoe

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Mr. Godfred Oppong Amoako

Head of Finance & Admin

Mr. Bright Kwadwo Sowu

Head of Programmes & Deputy Executive Secretary

Mrs. Beauty Emefa Narteh

Executive Secretary

Private Enterprise Federation

Centre for Democratic Development, Ghana (CDD)

Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA)

Economic and Organized Crime Office (EOCO)

Ghana Journalists Association (GJA)

Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ)

Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII)

Ghana Conference of Religions for Peace (GCRP)

Good Governance Africa (GGA)

Public Procurement Authority (PPA)

Ghana Audit Service (GAS)