Refrain from vote-buying – NCCE Director

The Ashanti Regional Director of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), Mr. Alhassan Yakubu, has urged candidates in the upcoming district level elections to refrain from vote buying.

He said reports that some of them were doling out cash and making unrealistic promises to woo voters were disheartening and not healthy for good local governance.

He was speaking at a day’s forum held on the September I Assembly and Unit Committee Elections, organised by the Commission with support from the European Union (EU), in Kumasi.

The goal was to educate and help candidates drawn from various electoral areas of the metropolis to have better understanding of the election regulations.

Mr. Yakubu said nobody should have any illusion about the fact that the assembly was not the place to make money.

Those, who put themselves up to be elected to serve on the assemblies and unit committees must therefore appreciate that theirs was a voluntary service to bring development to their communities.

He said it was on the basis of this that everybody should be moderate and candid to the people.

The NCCE Regional Director also underlined the need for them to be interested in voter education on how to correctly thumbprint the ballot papers.

That, he said, was important to significantly reduce the number of spoiled ballots.

Mr. Yakubu rallied the people to ensure massive turn-out and vote for those who could be trusted to provide the right leadership and make their communities better.

Mr. Kwame Nkrumah, the Kumasi Metropolitan Director of the Commission, advised all to be conversant with the electoral laws to prevent breaches.