Accra Minister Dismisses Allegations of Vote Buying Against Ghana’s Ruling Party

The Minister of the Greater Accra Region of Ghana, Linda Ocloo, has debunked allegations of vote buying leveled against the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) of Ghana and its parliamentary candidate for Ablekuma North, Ewurabena Aubynn,

by the country’s main opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP).

Speaking to Accra-based
Citi News on Friday, July 11, 2025 during the Ablekuma North parliamentary rerun, the Minister says what critics are calling “vote buying” is merely support for voters’ transportation—commonly referred to as T&T (Transport and Travelling).

According to her, “People have to come and vote, so if such people come, you have to give them the T&T to go and vote. I do not think that is vote buying. If you think that is vote buying, you can also go and buy their vote, it’s as simple as that.”

Ocloo further explained that offering transportation support does not compromise electoral integrity, especially when voters are already loyal to the party.

“If someone is loyal to you, why wouldn’t such a person vote for you with or without money? I do not think giving the person transportation is going to affect the integrity,” she argued.

She recounted how she publicly shared her contact number on a media platform, prompting calls from voters across the country—including from Tarkwa and Kumasi—seeking help to return to their polling stations.

“I told them that when they come, they should give me a call for their T&T. We are not giving out money. I am saying that we are supporting them with their T&T. When someone calls you, saying that he or she doesn’t have money for transportation, and I tell them to hail a car and I will pay, is that vote buying?” she asked.

Ocloo dismissed the claims as politically motivated and emphasised that such assistance is common practice across political parties.

“If the person is from the NPP, I do not think that such a person will call me for obvious reasons. It means such a person is already aligned with us. And equally, in the NPP, people call them for money for T&T,” she added.

The Ablekuma North parliamentary rerun, taking place in 19 polling stations today, follows disputed results from the 2024 general election. Both the NDC and the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) have expressed confidence in securing the seat.

Source: Africa Publicity