Emmanuel Victor Smith, Ghana’s ambassador to the US, has cautioned against the perils of vote-buying, characterising it as the cornerstone of systemic corruption that starts long before politicians take office.
His remarks come after claims of vote-buying during the February 7 National Democratic Congress (NDC) parliamentary primary.
Baba Jamal was charged with giving delegates boiling eggs and 32-inch TV sets to voters during the exercise after voting had already started.
Some voters apparently jostled to get the products as a result of the purported gifts.
On Monday, February 9, 2026, Ambassador Smith addressed the matter, emphasising that the disbursement of funds, presents, or favours during election campaigns should not be interpreted as acts of charity but rather as an investment with the hope of future gains—a strategy that eventually leads to corrupt governance.
“When money or gifts are used to influence voters, we must call it what it truly is: corruption in its earliest form. It is not generosity. It is not kindness.”
He stated, “It is an investment.”
The public purse essentially becomes the reimbursement account, he observed, since governance frequently moves away from public service toward recovering campaign expenses, rewarding financiers, and pursuing personal gain after politicians who participate in vote-buying attain political office.
“Vote-buying does not merely distort elections; it manufactures corruption after elections. Fighting corruption only in government contracts while tolerating it at the ballot box is self-deception,” Ambassador Smith reiterated.
He urged a public understanding that offering inducements erodes integrity, while accepting them diminishes accountability.
To protect Ghana’s democracy and encourage moral leadership, the ambassador urged voters and politicians to reject the politics of inducement and choose a politics of conscience.
Ambassador Smith warned that the open distribution of cash, motorcycles, or televisions to voters must be acknowledged as corruption, citing the Ayawaso East by-election.
He also said that law enforcement agencies should respond appropriately to such incidents.
Citing Lee Kuan Yew, the founding prime minister of Singapore, he reminded everyone that elections should never be auctions.
Source: newsthemegh.com