I should admit that I fortify the time table, imaginative and prescient, and fortitude of President Mahama in his efforts to set Ghana on a trail towards a sustainable long term, sturdy political establishments, and principled method. A couple of weeks in the past, the President gained the reviews of the Constitution Review Committee, and plenty of Ghanaians hope that, in alignment along with his imaginative and prescient, Parliament will go one of the crucial committee’s suggestions and the Ghanaian folks can be allowed to make a decision on them via a referendum.

However, as I argued in my previous article printed on JoyOnline in January 28,2026, titled “Why the NDC Must Rethink Its Internanal Elections Structure,”reforms equivalent to electing District and Municipal Chief Executives whether or not on celebration strains or independently, permitting twin electorate to be elected or appointed to positive positions, and similar proposals will handiest yield their complete dividends if the ruling celebration, the NDC, first undertakes critical inner reform. Party democracy is the primary conduit in which energy agents emerge. If that conduit is fallacious, nationwide reforms constructed on it is going to be compromised.

Against this background, the federal government just lately issued a directive pointing out that any celebration govt or govt appointee who needs to contest for a celebration place should first renounce from their present position. Many celebration individuals welcomed this directive. For years, this grey house had allowed some folks to advance private ambitions on the expense of the celebration’s collective passion. It additionally undermined the authority of the President in eventualities the place such folks concurrently held govt positions.

Meanwhile, it’s troubling that, in the middle of this directive, Baba Jamal, Ghana’s High Commissioner to Nigeria, was once recalled following allegations of vote purchasing within the NDC’s Ayawaso East parliamentary by-election, which came about a couple of days in the past. Baba Jamal is a former Member of Parliament for Akwatia, having served two phrases or extra ahead of his defeat. Having misplaced his base in Akwatia, he seems to have discovered a brand new political house in Ayawaso East.

What raises an much more critical worry is that, in obvious contempt of the celebration’s personal directive, it stays unclear whether or not Baba Jamal resigned from his place as High Commissioner ahead of contesting the election or whether or not one of these resignation took place with out public wisdom. Whichever method one seems to be at it, morally and politically, this example displays poorly at the appointing authority. Less than a yr into his diplomatic appointment, Baba Jamal reputedly concluded that the unlucky loss of life of a sitting MP had created a parliamentary hiatus that handiest he was once certified to fill, from Akwatia the entire option to Ayawaso East. This is problematic.

This reinforces a troubling truth: no matter gold nugget Parliament represents, those that have tasted energy seem unwilling to let pass, resorting to each manner essential to go back. This on my own must power us to interrogate the gadget in which NDC parliamentary applicants are produced. To be transparent, Baba Jamal was once now not recalled as a result of he allegedly didn’t renounce as High Commissioner, however as a result of allegations that he precipitated electorate with cash. I to find this allegation unfinished, unpalatable, and in large part a post-election development. As I argued in my earlier article, many within the most sensible hierarchy of the NDC are themselves merchandise of the similar cornmill gadget. They know too neatly that what our so-called delegate gadget produces is a tradition saturated with vote purchasing and delegate inducement disguised as consultant democracy.

Has Fiifi Kwetey now not been to Parliament in Ketu South for greater than a time period? Has Asiedu Nketia now not served in Parliament for greater than a time period? Ask former MPs like Hon. George Loh and plenty of previous and provide regional and nationwide executives of the NDC. If they’re daring sufficient to inform the reality, they are going to admit the exhausting and uncomfortable truth: vote purchasing has ruled our inner parliamentary elections for so long as reminiscence serves.

This is the obvious fact. Baba Jamal’s behavior, reprehensible as it will seem given his govt place and his adventure from Akwatia to Ayawaso East, isn’t an aberration. It is a symptom of a deeply fallacious gadget that has festered for a long way too lengthy. Any committee set as much as examine vote purchasing in Ayawaso East is, subsequently, a beauty workout and a waste of celebration assets. The celebration already is aware of the reality. It has remained silent since the gadget advantages and consolidates the facility of the ones on the most sensible.

Those people who’ve participated in NDC parliamentary elections should start to discuss with fact, braveness, and conviction. The present electoral faculty does now not constitute the aspirations of the folk. It is just too small, concentrates energy within the palms of a couple of, and makes the ones few simple objectives for manipulation. Constituency executives, frequently below the affect of sitting MPs, turn into gatekeepers. Abuse of incumbency turns into easy.

In the program, any rich demagogue or candidate backed by way of tough financiers can merely purchase delegates. In some circumstances, delegates even advise aspirants to desert neighborhood initiatives and direct all assets to them on my own, since they’re the so-called kingmakers. Target mapping replaces authentic grassroots engagement. Aspirants calculate the collection of delegates required to win and feed them cash time and again in trade for loyalty, whilst the broader constituency is left out. I used to be instructed of a minister of state who secured his parliamentary seat by way of giving delegates massive sums of cash, however first introduced in a Mallam ahead of whom the delegates swore an oath to not betray him. He received. In the program, delegates transfer to the perfect bidder. It is their cocoa season.

A couple of years in the past, I take into account the NDC as soon as piloting an expanded electoral faculty. That experiment introduced into Parliament folks like Sam George in Ningo Prampram, who defeated the veteran E. T. Mensah, and in my very own constituency, Joycelyn Tetteh, who defeated Hon. George Loh. At the time, critics argued that increasing the electoral faculty would result in the loss of life of professional and skilled politicians. In truth, that argument simply served to offer protection to the ruling magnificence.

Are we now to argue that Sam George has grew to become out to be a failed Member of Parliament? If the NDC is surely dedicated to serving to President Mahama turn out to be Ghana and construct sturdy establishments, then that is the instant for the celebration to reinvent itself. There is not any justification for preserving a delegate gadget in inner elections. Every registered celebration member, in each corner and cranny, should be allowed to take part. This will dilute the affect of energy agents, weaken the grip of political financiers, and repair legitimacy to celebration democracy.

We should start now, lest our enemies proceed to mock us.

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DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by way of Readers and Contributors in this platform don’t essentially constitute the perspectives or coverage of Multimedia Group Limited.