Veteran Journalist, Kwesi Pratt has expressed his views on the state of elections in West Africa, stating that no country in the sub-region, including Ghana and Nigeria, has had a truly free and fair election in the past few decades.

According to Pratt, the concept of free and fair elections collapsed a long time ago in West Africa.

He pointed out that in the past 20 years, all elections held in the sub-region have been marred by rigging and other irregularities.

Pratt questioned how many countries in West Africa have been able to conduct genuinely free and fair elections over such a period.

Pratt further criticized the national elections in the sub-region, calling them a pretense of democratic elections. He described the electoral process as a farce and claimed that it lacks credibility.

The journalist highlighted various issues that plague elections in West Africa, including vote buying, influence peddling, violence against unarmed civilians, and the distribution of tempting offers to voters.

According to Pratt, these practices have become common in the region, undermining the credibility and integrity of the electoral process.

“How many countries in West Africa have over 20 years organized free and fair elections?”

“Elections have become a farce. Everybody is talking about it. Go to the streets. Take cameras to the street of Accra and asked people their opinion about elections. It’s a farce," Kwesi Pratt added.

He urged people to take to the streets and inquire about citizens' opinions on elections to understand the disillusionment and skepticism surrounding the process.

Overall, Pratt's comments reflect his concerns about the state of democracy and electoral integrity in West Africa and the urgent need for meaningful reforms to restore public confidence in the electoral process.