The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has dismissed suggestions that it is selectively targeting the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in its ongoing investigation into alleged vote-buying incidents during recent party primaries.
Sammy Darko, Director of Strategy, Research, and Communications at the OSP, stated on Monday that investigations into both the NDC Ayawaso East parliamentary primary and the New Patriotic Party (NPP) presidential primaries are guided strictly by law and evidence, not political considerations.
Speaking on the Citi Breakfast Show, Darko clarified that the OSP statement was a general reminder about electoral laws. He stated that the announcement serves to remind Ghanaians that vote buying and vote selling are prohibited by law and that citizens must refrain from such practices.
He explained that some critics had misread the structure of the OSP statement, which presented cases sequentially across multiple paragraphs.
Darko said he does not understand how some people read the statement and concluded that one paragraph addressed the NPP while the rest focused on the NDC, noting that such interpretation does not add up. He explained that the first paragraph addressed the NPP, the second addressed the NDC, and the third outlined what the office is investigating in both instances.
He further clarified that additional focus on one individual was due to an alleged assault on an OSP officer during the election process. Darko stated that more attention was given to a particular candidate because that candidate had allegedly assaulted an OSP officer in the performance of his duties during the election.
The OSP announced on Sunday, February 8, that investigations had commenced into vote-buying allegations arising from the January 31 NPP presidential primaries and the February 7 NDC Ayawaso East parliamentary primary.
During the NDC primary, reports suggested that delegates received 32-inch televisions, coolers, and boiled eggs from the camp of Mohammed Baba Jamal Ahmed, who won the contest to represent the party in an upcoming by-election. In the NPP primaries, supporters of aspirants allegedly distributed cash to delegates, prompting complaints from those who said they did not receive promised funds.
The OSP reiterated that all investigations are being conducted impartially under Ghanaian law, with no preference for or against any political party. The office reminded the public that corrupt practices linked to elections remain criminal offences under Ghana’s laws.
The investigations focus on allegations of vote buying, vote selling, and the sources of funding for the alleged corrupt acts in both party primaries.
