Center for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana) has urged authorities to take decisive action against the menace of vote buying and selling ahead of the upcoming elections.

Speaking to the media, the organization emphasized the need for an "aggressive attack" on these practices to safeguard the integrity of the electoral process.

Director of Programmes and Policy Engagement at the Centre for Democratic Development-Ghana (CDD-Ghana), Dr Kojo Pumpuni Asante, in an interview on January 10, 2024 said: "I think that the sooner we jail both the sellers and the buyers of votes, the better it will be for us. Everybody can tell now that people just do it with impunity.

“They do it in the open, there are a lot of willing takers, people willing to sell their votes, and I think if we don’t stop this behaviour, we’re continuously trying to de-legitimize the democratic process.”

Dr. Kojo Pumpuni Asante added that an aggressive approach is needed to deal with the menace.

“When something is tainted and corrupted, it’s obvious. So, we have to attack it with all the aggression that we need. I am hoping that at least somebody gets jailed; not just the political actors but also the people who are receiving the money; because if that doesn’t happen then people will still think that there’s no accountability; you can do it with impunity and get away.”

In a recent development, the Office of the Special Prosecutor, already investigating allegations against public officials, reportedly arrested Kofi Ofosu Nkansah, the Chief Executive of the National Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme (NEIP), for allegedly distributing money to delegates ahead of the New Patriotic Party’s Parliamentary primaries.