Deputy Minister for Energy in charge of Finance and Infrastructure, Joseph Cudjoe [who is also the Member of Parliament for Effia], and the Executive Secretary for the National Council for Curriculum Assessment (NaCCA), Dr. Prince Hamid Armah [Parliamentary Candidate for Kwesimintsim on the ticket of NPP] have been cited among other candidates, by Corruption Watch Ghana, for inducing voters with money and other materials, to vote for their candidature during the New Patriotic Party’s parliamentary primaries.
Both candidates according to the report offered sums of monies that ranged between GHC400.00 to GHC1,500.00 plus other items which included LED Television sets, cloths among others.
The two topped the list of candidates to have offered higher values on supposed ‘tokens’ to delegates, in the Western Region.
The details for the respective candidates are as follows
Effia Constituency
The incumbent, Joseph Cudjoe is alleged to have camped about 300 delegates and paid GH1,500.00 and a 32 inch flat screen Hisense television. A week ahead of the event, some delegates were to a meeting and dashed a standing fan and half piece of fabric each. As a token of appreciation after the election, the incumbent offered delegates GH400.00 and a 32 inch TV set. He had polled 312 votes against the contender; Dr. Adwoa Kwegyirba, a lecturer at the Takoradi Technical University. The report noted that, Mr. Cudjoe had since failed to respond to calls or texts for a reaction to these allegations.
The contender, Dr. Kwegyirba though denied allegations of ever inducing the delegates, her Campaigns Communications officer, Oscar Amoah explained that Dr. Kwagyirba’s campaign shared GH₵ 400 to 200-plus delegates and Nasco 32-inch TV sets to 100-plus delegates.
Kwesimintsim Constituency
Dr. Prince Hamid Armah who overtook the incumbent MP for the area, Joseph Mensah, is reported to have induced voters (delegates) with monies.
Each of the about 200 delegates who voted for him were allegedly paid GH1,500.00, at his residence at Anaji, the night before the election date. They were fed with foods and drinks that night till morning when the election begun, the report added. He polled 222 out of the 389 votes to oust the incumbent.
Sadly for the incumbent, who polled 167, his GHC1,000.00 plus six yards fabric he gave to the about 200 delegates couldn’t secure him the candidatureship for the 2020 parliamentary elections.
The incumbent Joseph Mensah admitted inducing the delegates with the amount of cash and items mentioned.
To him, its a normal practise, and that the highest bidder gets to secure the candidatureship. Dr. Armah however made no attempt to respond or reply calls nor texts regarding this allegation.