A former Head of Monitoring and Evaluation at the Presidency, Dr Tony Aidoo, has called on the police to pursue allegations of vote buying in the primaries of political parties, despite legal gaps that do not clearly criminalise the practice.

His remark followed allegations of delegate inducement in last Saturday's Ayawaso East National Democratic Congress parliamentary primary.

Under Ghana’s statutes, bribery and inducement offences apply to public elections conducted by the Electoral Commission. Section 33 of the Representation of the People Law, 1992 (PNDCL 284) makes it unlawful to offer money, gifts or valuable consideration to influence a voter.

Sections 34 and 35 outlaw treating and undue influence. The Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29), particularly Section 256, provides penalties for corruption in respect of a public election.

None of those provisions expressly covers internal party contests. Legal analysts and civil society organisations have often pointed out that the gap leaves vote buying in political party primaries largely handled within party structures rather than through the criminal justice system.

Speaking in a radio interview with Joy FM on Tuesday [February 10, 2026], Dr Aidoo rejected the distinction.

He said the police should intervene regardless of the absence of explicit statutory backing. “Use the law. Hit them on the head. The giver and the taker, both of them” .

Dr Aidoo argued that political parties cannot treat primaries as private events beyond legal scrutiny. “A political party is a public body. Its actions have consequences which are justiciable in a court of law,” he said.

He added that activities within parties affect the wider public and should not be treated as private matters.