Food for Votes? NPP MP’s Actions Stir Controversy in Ayawaso West Wuogon

Special voting in the Ayawaso West Wuogon Constituency of the Greater Accra Region on Monday, December 2, progressed smoothly until an incident involving the distribution of food packs stirred tensions. Lydia Alhassan, the incumbent Member of Parliament for the New Patriotic Party (NPP), was seen personally handing out food to voters waiting in line.

Reports indicate that Electoral Commission (EC) officials and security personnel overseeing the process also received these food packs. The gesture sparked outrage among members of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), particularly their parliamentary candidate, actor John Dumelo, who condemned the act as an attempt to influence voters.

In an interview with Joy News’ Kwaku Asante, John Dumelo criticized the practice, emphasizing that any form of inducement during elections in Ghana is illegal. Despite this, such incidents have been known to occur in both internal party primaries and national elections.

"Why are you sharing food with people in the queue? Why are you doing that? Does it mean we cannot share food too? We can also share the same, but let's respect the rules of the Electoral Commission. Don't share anything with people in the queue who have noted voted yet. And you're sharing food and we don't even know what's in the thing, and you're sharing to people who have not voted yet. What kind of stupidity is this" he quizzed.

Why? Do they think we can't do it? We can do the same and even worse. They shouldn't even try us" he warned.

Before the food-sharing controversy, both candidates had expressed optimism about their chances in the election during interviews with Joy News.

Meanwhile, similar reports emerged from the Ayawaso Central Constituency, where both the NPP and NDC allegedly distributed food specifically to EC officials supervising the voting exercise.

The special voting exercise is being conducted across 14 of the country’s 16 regions, involving hundreds of security personnel, emergency service staff, and Electoral Commission officials. However, the Eastern and Western Regions have had their special voting postponed to Thursday, December 5, due to a ballot paper printing error that required a recall and reprint.

Despite a generally smooth process with high voter turnout, the exercise has faced minor issues, including missing names on the voter list and allegations of food distribution. These incidents have sparked concerns about the integrity of the election process as the country approaches its main voting day.