The National Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr. Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, has stated that Ghana’s delegate system has transformed into a significant source of corruption, contending that excessive expenditures in internal party elections have undermined the nation’s democratic process.
Speaking in an interview, Mr. Asiedu Nketiah stated that delegate politics has evolved from a democratic practice to one that is heavily swayed by financial influence.
“Now huge sums of money are paid to delegates,” he noted.
He further explained that studies indicate many parliamentary candidates invest more in securing party nominations than they ultimately earn during their four-year terms as Members of Parliament.
“The amount of money these people spend before they go to Parliament is more than all the salary they receive over four years,” he asserted.
Mr. Nketiah emphasised that politicians frequently seek financial support from private entities to finance these costly elections, which leads to them becoming indebted to their sponsors.
“Because the MPs are paying, people engaged in illicit businesses fund them, and when they come to power, they cannot criticise their sponsors,” he explained on AmbassadorTV.
He cautioned that this trend represents a grave danger to good governance and accountability if it remains unaddressed.
