Defeated parliamentary aspirant of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the Binduri Constituency, Dr. Robert Baba Kuganab-Lem believes he would have won in the party’s May 13 primaries if he had dished out more money to delegates.
Speaking in an interview on Breakfast Today, Dr. Kuganab-Lem said although the money he gave delegates influenced some to vote in his favour, it was not enough to sway majority of the votes.
“I gave money. The money I gave was from my pocket. I didn’t go to mobilize money from anybody. It (the money from my pocket) swayed them but it wasn’t enough,” he told host of the show, James Nana Tsiquaye.
He alleged that his opponent, Issifu Mahmoud had financial support from within and outside the NDC and thus, outdid him in the act of vote-buying, leading to his defeat.
“Money played a key role. Because no matter the destructive things they were doing, if they didn’t mobilize that money to share, they couldn’t have won the elections”.
While admitting that dishing out monies to delegates is an act of corruption, Dr. Kuganab-Lem, who is a former Member of Parliament for the constituency, said he could not do otherwise since that is the only way to convince members of the electoral college to vote him.
“You don’t give anything (money) and you get zero vote. So what do you do? If you don’t give which is morally right and in principle, I wouldn’t want to buy any vote. I wouldn’t never want to buy any vote. It’s corruption”.
He urged the party to revert to the expanded electoral college system as he argues that the current system fuels malpractices.
“When you have the delegates system where money rules, it becomes difficult. I’m one of those people who advocate for us to go back to the mass voting, not delegates voting and if you lose in that election, you know that you’ve lost. Your chances of winning in the General Elections become minimal”.
