The special voting exercise in the Ayawaso West Wuogon Constituency of the Greater Accra Region proceeded peacefully on Monday, December 2, until a controversy unfolded. The incumbent Member of Parliament, Lydia Alhassan of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), was seen distributing food packs to voters waiting in line.
Electoral Commission officials and security personnel supervising the process also reportedly received the food packs, an act that stirred agitation among members of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC). The party’s Parliamentary Candidate, actor John Dumelo, along with other party executives, expressed strong disapproval of the incident.
In an interview with Joy News, John Dumelo condemned the food distribution, labeling it as an attempt at inducement. “This act undermines the fairness of the electoral process,” he stated, emphasizing that any form of inducement is illegal under Ghana’s electoral laws.
“Why are you sharing food with people in the queue? Why are you doing that? Does it mean we cannot share food too? We can also share the same, but let’s respect the rules of the Electoral Commission. Don’t share anything with people in the queue who have noted voted yet. And you’re sharing food and we don’t even know what’s in the thing, and you’re sharing to people who have not voted yet. What kind of stupidity is this” he quizzed.
Why? Do they think we can’t do it? We can do the same and even worse. They shouldn’t even try us” he warned.
Before the incident, both Lydia Alhassan and John Dumelo had expressed confidence in their chances during interviews with Joy News. However, this event shifted the focus to allegations of malpractice.
Meanwhile, reports from the Ayawaso Central Constituency indicate that similar food-sharing activities were carried out by both the NPP and the NDC, specifically targeting Electoral Commission officials supervising the polls.
The special voting exercise, involving hundreds of security personnel, emergency service staff, and Electoral Commission officials, is being conducted across 14 out of the 16 regions in Ghana. The Eastern and Western regions will hold their special voting on Thursday, December 5, due to a ballot paper mishap that necessitated reprinting.
Despite these issues, the Electoral Commission has reported a generally smooth process with high voter turnout. However, isolated incidents, including missing names on voter lists and the controversial food-sharing activities, have raised concerns about the integrity of the exercise.
