‘I gave farm inputs to citizens not delegates’ – Aliu Mahama rejects vote-buying claims

The NPP parliamentary aspirants for the Yendi constituency in the Northern region, Farouk Aliu Mahama, has denied allegations that he induced delegates at the 2020 NPP primaries.

A recent investigative piece, Corruption Watch, by the Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana) cited Alhaji Farouk Aliu Mahama, to have distributed 400 bottles of anti-snake sprays and 800 bags of fertilizers to delegates of the Yendi Constituency.

But he has insisted he only gave farm inputs through his philanthropic organization, Partnership Poverty Reduction (PPR) to farmers in the constituency and not delegates.

“I have an NGO, PPR and we have the database of all farmers across the constituency, and base on that database we distribute goods to farmers. there is a possibility that some delegates may be part of the data” he said.

Mr. Mahama denied giving farm inputs to delegates knowingly.

“I met delegates on campaign trials to sell my message to them but I never gave them anything. I did not even give them transportation nor water,” he insisted

The Corruption Watch also indicted the Deputy MASLOC CEO, Hajia Abibata Shani Mahama Zakaria, who according to the report took advantage of her office to induce delegates in the Yendi Constituency.

According to the report, Hajia Abibata Zakaria allegedly distributed GHC1,000 of state funds under the MASLOC loans and three bags of NPK fertilizers to each of the delegates in her constituency.

When confronted with the report she denied.

“I must emphasize that the beneficiaries were not delegates as claimed. Unless they were purposely excluded, some of the beneficiaries of a transparent loan scheme were always going to be members of the various political parties including the NPP and some would-be delegates,” she told JoyNews.