OccupyGhana presses for law to punish vote-buying in party primaries
In a letter dated 9 February 2026, the civil society group wrote to the Attorney-General, the Majority Leader, and the Minority Leader, asking them to close what it calls a loophole that allows cash-and-gift inducement in internal party elections to go unpunished.
OccupyGhana says Ghana’s political parties have become too comfortable with money changing hands during primaries, and it wants Parliament to make the practice a criminal offence.
In a letter dated 9 February 2026, the civil society group wrote to the Attorney-General, the Majority Leader, and the Minority Leader, asking them to close what it calls a loophole that allows cash-and-gift inducement in internal party elections to go unpunished.
OccupyGhana said it made the same call in an earlier letter on 9 October 2023, but the problem has only grown.
The group’s latest push comes after vote-buying allegations surrounding the recent NDC Ayawaso East primaries, held to choose a candidate for the by-election scheduled for 3 March 2026. It argues that while Ghana’s national elections have clear rules against bribery, party primaries have not been properly covered, turning some contests into what it described as a “mercenary” exercise where spending power beats competence.
OccupyGhana is also proposing a change in who should prosecute such cases. Instead of the Attorney-General’s office, it wants the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) to have exclusive authority to prosecute vote-buying and vote-selling offences in party primaries.
The group says these offences are political by nature, so an independent body is better placed to act without perceived conflicts of interest. It argues the OSP has the investigative capacity to follow financial trails and treat the conduct as corruption and abuse of trust, and that OSP-led enforcement would improve deterrence and public confidence.
OccupyGhana’s broader point is that primaries are not private club activities. It says they are the main route to selecting candidates for public office, and once inducements dominate that process, corruption gets planted at the very start of leadership.
The group is asking for a clear timetable for legislative reform and says it copied its letter to key public officials, including the Speaker of Parliament, the Electoral Commission Chair, and the Special Prosecutor.
