The Western Regional Director of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), Andrew Ofori Larbi, has described the growing practice of vote buying in Ghana’s elections as a worrying trend that requires collective action to address.
According to him, research conducted by the NCCE ahead of the 2024 general elections showed that a significant number of citizens believe financial inducements influence voting decisions.
Mr. Ofori Larbi disclosed this at the Western Regional edition of Adom Brands’ “Democracy Is Not For Sale” forum held at the Takoradi Library.
The forum brought together citizens and key stakeholders to discuss the increasing influence of money in Ghana’s democratic process, including vote buying, campaign financing, the rising cost of political participation and illicit funding in elections.
He said the NCCE conducted research across all 276 constituencies in August 2024, with 9,324 respondents participating in the exercise.
“Out of that, 64.3% of respondents believe that vote buying influences the votes,” he said.
Mr. Ofori Larbi explained that some voters are influenced by cultural and spiritual beliefs, with some fearing consequences if they accept money from candidates but fail to vote for them.
“Before every election, we do research. We have some spiritual aspects; some think that when they collect the money and don’t vote for the person, they will be cursed,” he stated.
He stressed that addressing vote buying is a shared responsibility involving citizens, political actors and institutions.
The NCCE Regional Director expressed concern that the practice is gradually becoming normalised, even among young people in educational institutions.
“Vote buying is becoming worrying. Even in primary schools, they are now sharing toffees and others. When you get to tertiary, what will you share for SRC? If we are not careful, this will affect us badly,” he warned.
Mr. Ofori Larbi said the NCCE will continue its public education campaigns to discourage citizens from accepting inducements and encourage them to focus on issues and development when making electoral choices.
“We at NCCE are always advocating and preaching against it that it’s not the best,” he added.
The “Democracy Is Not For Sale” forum is aimed at promoting awareness about the dangers of vote buying and encouraging a more accountable and issue-based democratic culture in Ghana.
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