Presidential aspirant and leader of the Union Government, Akwasi Addai Odike, has proposed the abolishment of by-elections in Ghana, describing the process as “senseless and costly” to the nation.
He suggests that political parties should instead conduct internal primaries to replace deceased Members of Parliament.
“If we are talking about a by-election, why don’t we allow the party occupying the seat, which has lost its sitting Member of Parliament, to go to the polls [internal primary] and elect the deceased’s replacement?
“Instead, we allow an entire constituency to vote again; it doesn’t make sense. In this regard, we will not organise party elections,” he argued.
Odike believes that a party-elected candidate should be allowed to serve the remainder of the term in Parliament without the need for a constituency-based poll.
“So, the elected person within the party should represent the constituents in Parliament until the tenure ends and a general election is held,” he explained.
He expressed strong dissatisfaction with the current practice, stressing that it imposes an unnecessary financial burden on the country.
“At the end of the day, how costly these by-elections are to the country is senseless. It seems like our leaders cannot think deeply, they behave as if Ghana lacks critical thinkers,” he said.
Odike further criticized the political leadership, likening their reasoning to a colonial system. “Our way of doing things amounts to ‘zombies’ acting under the direction of our colonial masters,” he concluded.
