You can't remove money from politics by expanding internal elections - Gbede

Japhet Festus Gbede, Assemblymember for the Wuxor Have and Sremanu Electoral Area and a member of the Volta Regional Communication Team of the NDC, has questioned growing legal arguments seeking to portray Ghana’s delegate system as entirely undemocratic.

According to him, although such legal positions may appear attractive in theory, they fail to consider the practical realities of political organisation and electoral competition in Ghana.

Speaking on the matter on his official Facebook page, Gbede stated that politics everywhere is influenced by influence, organisation, popularity, and financial strength, insisting that expanding internal party elections to all card-bearing members will not automatically eliminate money politics or create equal opportunities for aspirants.

“Those with greater financial strength will still dominate the process. The only difference is that the cost of internal elections will become far more expensive and difficult for political parties to manage,” he argued.

He further questioned whether the state is financially prepared to support such a transition, asking if the Electoral Commission would have the capacity to print thousands of ballots and deploy officials nationwide for constituency, regional, national, and presidential primaries.

Gbede also expressed concerns about possible infiltration of party structures by individuals holding multiple party cards with the intention of manipulating internal outcomes.

While acknowledging that no democratic system is perfect, he maintained that reforms to Ghana’s political processes must be guided by practicality, consultation, political maturity, and the broader national interest.

The NDC communicator further urged the Attorney General to focus more attention on corruption-related matters and recovery of alleged stolen state resources, stressing that many Ghanaians voted for the current government with expectations of accountability and justice.

“This is what many Ghanaians expected the Attorney General to focus on, not legal positions that could potentially create confusion and financial pressure within political parties,” he stated.