The Communications Director of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), Richard Ahiagbah, has refuted claims that the party distributed money to voters during the recent by-election in Ejisu, in the Ashanti region.
According to him, there is also no evidence to back the numerous allegations of vote-buying made by individuals and civil society organizations.
Speaking on JoyNews' Newsfile on Saturday, May 4, Mr Ahiagbah stated, "To be very honest with you, I have seen those videos but I don’t know the source of those monies they are referring to."
He emphasised that during his visit to the Ejisu constituency, he did not disburse funds to individuals.
“I have been in that constituency for a good number of times. I appreciate the work that was done by others but for my team especially, we did house-to-house, community engagements with the view of letting the people know what the government has done and the track record of the individual whom they have selected [Kwabena Boateng] to lead them and to replace Dr John Kumah,” he said.
Addressing the stronghold status of the NPP in Ejisu, Mr Ahiagbah underscored the significant investment made by the party to ensure electoral success.
However, he dismissed claims of monetary inducement, stating, “I don’t see why we would have done all that work only to want to use money to induce people’s vote."
He clarified that any financial support provided was aimed at facilitating transportation for voters, particularly the elderly, rather than influencing their decisions.
The NPP Communications Director firmly denied any organised distribution of money by the party, stressing, "The party didn’t organise anything to do that."
He reiterated the party's commitment to fair elections, emphasising his belief in "one man, one vote."
Mr Ahiagbah claimed that the purported distribution of money might be from individuals interested in tarnishing the reputation of the party, adding that the political landscape is rife with various individuals with malicious intentions.
Credit: Prince Adu-Owusu