Mahama campaign team justifies incentives to delegates

Mahama campaign team justifies incentives to delegates

The leader of the John Mahama campaign team has justified their decision to provide what has been described as incentives to delegates.

Daniel Ohene Agyekum rejected suggestions of vote buying, explaining the move is only to encourage voters to come out and exercise their franchise.

“We want to ensure that those who want to come out and vote are well taken care of. Some people are travelling from a long distance to come and vote so we have to take care of them.

“If we want them to come, it is only natural that you facilitate their coming to do so. We are offering them a little bit of incentive in terms of transportation, a little food and drinks,” he said.

He denied that they are doling out monies to the voters but what they did was to complement the party’s efforts.

Ahead of the primaries, some flagbearer aspirants raised concerns about possible vote buying citing Mr Mahama’s team decision to provide food and transportation for the delegates, a responsibility they say the party has to bear.

One of the candidates Goosie Tanoh told Joy News’ Joseph Opoku Gakpo that his team would file a formal complaint to the party if they get enough substantial proof of votes buying.

Goosie Tanoh

He was, however, emphatic that vote buying was rife “all over the country.”

“Apart from this naked inducement of one meal for four years for delegates and also the GHS20 saga let us hope there’re no problems associated with what is happening,” Goosie Tanoh said, referring to former President John Mahama.

But Mr Ohene Agyekum said they do not care about who the delegate is going to vote for, but they only want to get make the delegates to the polling stations without much hassle.

“All of us belong to the same family so should make sure we get a high turn out,” he said.

At the Nhyiaeso constituency in the Ashanti region where vice chairman of that constituency Richard Prah, a known Mahama supporter, also rejected concerns about possible rigging.

He said they are only concerned with getting the people out to cast their ballot and not direct who they are going to vote for.

Mr Prah said it is not his possible for them to rig or influence the votes to suit anyone aspirant since they are not allowed into the voting booth.

In an interaction with the press, National Communications Officer of the party, Sammy Gyamfi said no such information of votes buying has come to their notice.

“…nothing could be further from the truth,” he told the pressmen.