{"id":114636,"date":"2026-02-09T09:03:19","date_gmt":"2026-02-09T09:03:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=114636"},"modified":"2026-02-09T09:03:19","modified_gmt":"2026-02-09T09:03:19","slug":"voter-inducement-now-a-business-model-undermining-democracy-vicky-bright","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=114636","title":{"rendered":"Voter inducement now a \u2018business model\u2019 undermining democracy \u2013 Vicky Bright"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Private legal practitioner Victoria Bright has raised alarm over the growing influence of money in Ghana\u2019s electoral politics, warning that voter inducement has evolved into a \u201cbusiness model\u201d that is steadily eroding democratic governance.<\/p>\n

Speaking on JoyNews\u2019 AM Show, Ms Bright said inducement in elections is neither new nor confined to one political party, arguing that the practice has become entrenched across the political divide.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is not the first time we are hearing of inducement of any sort in elections in this country; in fact, it happens across both political parties, and it\u2019s become almost like a business model,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd I use the word \u2018business model\u2019 because you pay the money, you will get your seat, and you go and sit there.\u201d<\/p>\n

She explained that the high cost of inducement, particularly in constituencies with large delegate numbers, creates perverse incentives that distract elected officials from governance.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo clearly, if you go and sit there instead of worrying about the job, you are worrying about the cost recovery exercise. So, where is the governance? You are not doing your job,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Ms Bright warned that the cumulative effect of inducement practices weakens democracy and ultimately affects all citizens.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese are some of the things that I get upset about, because all these things in their totality weaken our democracy; in the end, we all suffer,\u201d she noted.<\/p>\n

According to her, money has become the decisive factor in elections at every stage of the political process.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe brutal truth of the matter is that we have gotten to a point now where it\u2019s money that really is deciding elections, pure and simple, at every level from the polling station all the way up to the top,\u201d she said. \u201cMoney decides the election before the voters even do, so the vote almost becomes superfluous in some cases.\u201d<\/p>\n

She called for national reflection on the issue, describing the situation as unsustainable.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo it\u2019s something that we have to pause and think, we really have to pause and think because it\u2019s really untenable,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Ms Bright also criticised what she described as hypocrisy within the political system, questioning how many elected officials could genuinely claim to be free from inducement.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s only when, when, when people are caught that they suddenly remember that there\u2019s some law somewhere,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd then there\u2019s a big fanfare about it. And then before you realise it, it all quietens down, and it\u2019s business as usual.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her comments come amid controversy surrounding the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Ayawaso East parliamentary primaries, where Mohammed Baba Jamal Ahmed has been accused of distributing items, including 32-inch television sets and boiled eggs, to delegates on voting day.<\/p>\n

Some party insiders and delegates allege the items were inducements that may have influenced voting patterns and contributed to Mr Baba Jamal\u2019s victory. His supporters, however, deny any wrongdoing, insisting the claims are exaggerated.<\/p>\n

In response, the NDC leadership has set up a three-member committee to investigate the allegations and recommend measures to curb inducement in future internal elections. The committee is expected to submit its report by February 10, 2026.<\/p>\n

Ms Bright welcomed the move but questioned why similar investigations had not followed previous elections.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think that the party is right to set up a committee to investigate. What I\u2019m questioning is why it hasn\u2019t done so in all the other elections where this has happened,\u201d she said. \u201cBecause Ayawaso East is not the only election in which we have had this kind of thing.\u201d<\/p>\n

She cautioned against prejudging the outcome of the probe.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf the issues are now being probed, if they are now being investigated, then how does one jump the gun and say someone is guilty?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n

Referring to Mr Baba Jamal\u2019s public defence, she said his explanation would form part of the inquiry.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat said, we also had Baba Jamal on TV saying that, look, I have done these things; it\u2019s not what you\u2019re accusing me of. It\u2019s something that I do all the time. I give loans,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd the timing\u2014there\u2019s a credibility gap there because the timing is a bit too coincidental, and it\u2019s difficult.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ms Bright stressed that the investigation must be transparent, fair and credible, and that its findings must be enforced.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf they are investigating their own house, then it\u2019s very important that whoever is found culpable, after a fair and thorough investigation, should be dealt with in a way that confirms the trust that Ghanaians have reposed.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Private legal practitioner Victoria Bright has raised serious concerns about the growing role of money in Ghana\u2019s electoral politics, describing voter inducement as a \u201cbusiness model\u201d that is steadily undermining democratic governance.<\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"facebook_2277560469115098_106292521332774":"","twitter_aToxNzczMzI3Njk4OTg4ODUxMjAxOw==_1773327698988851200":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4515,1883,10,9,9026,16617],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-114636","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-business-model","category-national","category-politics","category-popular","category-vicky-bright","category-voter"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/114636","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=114636"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/114636\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=114636"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=114636"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=114636"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}