A former National Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Peter Mac Manu has urged law enforcement bodies to take action against persons who engage in voter inducement.
Speaking exclusively to 3News ahead of the NPP primaries in constituencies with sitting MPs, Mr Mac Manu said it is not in the powers of the party to enforce the laws governing voter inducement.
“The party is not a law court, but I’m saying it is in the laws of this country and I have quoted the PNDC law to you and so it’s for somebody to trigger like the OSP is doing, otherwise you can say it on radio and you can say it on TV, it won’t get anywhere but I think that we must act on it and prevent this from becoming a canker in our democratic dispensation,” he said.
He noted that people may have specific reasons for doing what they do “but the court or the OSP for that matter could find out the reasons and if it falls outside the law, as in PNDC Law 284 then they will deal with it accordingly.”
He also contended that nobody is above the law and advised aspirants to tread cautiously.
NPP parliamentary primaries underway in 104 constituencies
“So, there is a legal aspect of it and the party itself in its rules and regulations governing the elections tomorrow, has put it in place in our code of conduct. So, if people are doing it, I have not seen it but if I see it, I will condemn it or even if I hear it, I will condemn it. Because we should not allow that to creep into our democracy,” Mr Mac Manu advised.
The representation of the people law, 1992 (PNDCL 284) as amended condemns any acts of bribery or inducement or treating of voters to induce them to vote for a particular candidate.
Section 33 of the act states that “A person commits the offence of bribery— if he directly or acting through another person—gives money or obtains an office for a voter in order to induce the voter to vote or refrain from voting; or corruptly does such an act on account of a voter having voted or refrained from voting; or makes a gift or provides something of value to a voter to induce the voter to vote in a certain way or to obtain the election of a candidate.”
Section 34 of the Law also states that “A person commits the offence of treating— if he corruptly either himself or through another person, before, during or after an election gives or provides or pays wholly or in part the expenses of giving or providing meat, drink, entertainment or provision to or for any person— for the purpose of corruptly influencing that person or another person to vote or refrain from voting.”
The NPP stalwart expressed satisfaction with the party’s code of conduct, which he said complements the PNDC law.
“I’m happy that in the NPP rules and regulations governing tomorrow’s parliamentary primaries, there is an item on it that participants and for that matter delegates and contestants should not in any way influence delegates with money, food, camping and this is buttressed by PNDC law 284 section 33-34 which also makes it illegal if you bribe a voter with money, food or anything to vote for you.”
By Job Kwabena Laboja