Managing Editor of the Insight Newspaper Kwesi Pratt Jnr has downplayed report by the Ghana Centre for Democratic Development (CDD) indicating that the National Democratic Congress (NDC) was leading the table in terms of vote buying ahead of this year’s polls.
According to him, every government in every election year develops constituencies and changes lives of people as part of its interventions, and this is not intended to buy votes.
He believes politicians in the country buy votes and NDC should not be seen as the only political party which is accused of buying votes.
Speaking on Accra based Radio Gold Saturday; he said the CDD report should not be taken hook line and sinker.
“Everybody buys votes; even the smaller parties do so not to necessarily buy electorates but as part of government intervention,” he said.
Mr Pratt’s comment follows a recent survey by the CDD which revealed that the NDC was leading the table in terms of vote buying ahead of this year’s polls.
The survey indicated that a total of 51 per cent of Ghanaians surveyed believed the Mahama government had been buying votes, followed closely by Nana Akufo-Addo’s New Patriotic Party with 32 per cent.
However, the NPP as well as civil society groups have accused President John Mahama, who is currently on a tour of the ten regions dubbed to ‘Account to the People’, of buying votes by sharing outboard motors, sewing machines and other freebies to rural folks.
But Kwesi Pratt could not fathom why the results of the survey by the CDD come at a time both the president and his wife, Lordina Mahama, have been accused by the opposition NPP of buying votes and abusing incumbency.
“It is very interesting that this report came up exactly at the same time the NPP was making those allegations and so I believe subjecting the report to strict examination won’t be bad,” he asserted.
He appealed to politicians to rather appreciate the developmental projects being undertaken by President Mahama and not condemn him.
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