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Executive Director of Global InfoAnalytics, Mussa Dankwah, has dismissed claims that vote buying influenced the outcome of the Akwatia by-election held on Tuesday, September 2, 2025. According to Dankwah, the results reflected the genuine will of the people rather than financial inducements.
Dankwah explained that data gathered by his outfit consistently shows that only a small fraction of Ghanaian voters are willing to exchange their ballots for money. Specifically, he stated that only about 7% of voters are likely to take money for a vote, making vote buying an ineffective political strategy. “If you are investing GH₵10 million to buy a vote, you are only going to get 7% in return,” he said.
He emphasized that vote buying doesn’t work in Ghanaian elections, citing that propaganda, money, or intimidation cannot win elections. Instead, he believes that science, research, and understanding the voter are key to electoral success. This stance is supported by the NDC’s Deputy Director of Elections and Information Technology, Rashid Tanko-Computer, who defended his party’s integrity by pointing to their massive victory in the 2024 general elections as proof that their success was built on policies and public trust, not monetary influence.
However, allegations of vote buying have been made by the New Patriotic Party (NPP), with claims that the NDC distributed cash and items to voters. The NPP’s accusations were countered by the NDC, with Tanko-Computer accusing the NPP of perpetuating a culture of vote buying. King Zuba, on the other hand, alleged that the NPP was distributing GH₵50 to each voter, describing it as “broke money”.
The Akwatia by-election saw the NDC’s Bernard Bediako win with 18,199 votes, defeating the NPP’s Solomon Kwame Asumadu, who garnered 15,235 votes.
