One of the aspirants who was eyeing the Ashanti Region Chairmanship position of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Robert Asare Bediako, has bemoaned the current trend of monetization in Ghana’s political landscape.
Mr. Asare Bediako disclosed that he ‘bribed’ each delegate with a sum of at least GH¢1,000 to vote in his favour on Saturday, May 28, 2022.
According to the disappointed Chairman hopeful, the only reason he lost to his opponents was because the delegates cast their votes for the highest bidder.
Making the disclosure on Akoma FM, he said “whiles I was paying each delegate GH¢1,000, I thought I would win but some paid more than me so the delegates also gave in to the highest bidder and it’s very worrying the trend of monetization in our body politics”.
Mr. Asare Bediako, who polled 22 votes in the just-ended executive elections on Saturday therfore called on national executives to scrutinize the electoral college system.
In his view, the system gives room for corruption which contributes to monetization.
Meanwhile, Chairman Wontumi managed to beat off the competition to retain his seat as Ashanti Regional Chairman.
He secured a total of 464 votes while other contenders such as Kwabena Owusu Aduomi and Oheneba Kofi Adum Bawuah polled 9 and 3 votes respectively.
Chairman Wontumi’s closest contender Odeneho Kwaku Appiah garnered 306 votes losing by a margin of 158 votes.
Mr. Bediako further called for unity in ‘breaking the eight’ saying that “after this election, let’s try and put behind all grievances and differences and back the elected executives to maintain NPP in power.”
