Ejisu by-election: Group petitions IGP over alleged bribery incident.
A civil society organization called Election WatcGhana has petitioned the Inspector General of Police (IGP0) to look into allegations of election malfeasance made by Dr. Kingsley Nyarko, the member of parliament for Kwadaso.
The petition was started in response to a widely shared video from the April 30 by-election in Ejisu that showed Dr. Nyarko giving two interim Electoral Commission officials a white envelope.
Election Watch Ghana is pleading with the IGP, Dr. George Akuffo Dampare, to take additional action by arresting the MP, even though the Electoral Commission swiftly replaced the officials shown in the video.
The group stated that maintaining the rule of law and regaining public trust in Ghana’s democratic institutions depend on the prosecution of the MP.
“We strongly condemn this brazen act of corruption, which undermines the integrity of our already dying democracy. We request that your office take immediate action to investigate and prosecute the MP for Kwadaso, Kingsley Nyarko for his involvement in this electoral malpractice.
“We believe that swift action is necessary to maintain public trust in our democratic institutions and to uphold the rule of law. We will be monitoring this case closely and expect a prompt response regarding the actions your office will take to address this matter,” the statement added.
In the meantime, the Electoral Commission has responded to the accusations by stating that the package that was provided to its representatives was meant for lunch expenditures rather than as a bribe.
In addition, Dr. Kingsley Nyarko has denied any misconduct and insisted that he did not present the officials with a bribe.
The Kwadaso MP addressed the matter by stating that the NPP had chosen him to oversee five polling places in Fumesua.
“During my numerous rounds, and upon reaching the Pentecost church polling station, I interacted with the officers to find out if the election process at the polling station was coming up well and the numbers that had registered at that time” he explained to the media.
“The officers indicated that the process was smooth but at that time their food had not been delivered. I then asked them if they would be okay if I offered them lunch. They accepted it and I put an envelope on the table in the full glare of all.”
“Unequivocally, and in all honesty that, the gesture shown by me to the electoral officers was with good intent, and not to bribe nor influence them to act contrary to their conscience, conviction and character” he added.
