Former President John Dramani Mahama, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) flagbearer, has leveled serious allegations against the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), accusing them of engaging in vote-buying schemes ahead of the upcoming 2024 general elections.
Mahama claims the NPP is distributing various items to potential voters, including rice, money, seasoning cubes, and even enema bulb syringes locally known as “bentua”.
“They tend to bribe you with 500 cedis, 1000 cedis, or even gifts like coalpot, Maggi, and rice. If you’re unlucky, you’ll only get ‘bentua’.
“They’ll claim I’m lying, but I witnessed it myself yesterday evening in Bodi. I even asked around, and it’s true – the NPP is sharing bentua for votes”, Mahama noted during a campaign stop.
He encouraged citizens to accept these offerings, arguing that they are funded by public money, but to vote according to their conscience.
“As humans, we need to prioritize our basic needs. If we’re hungry, how do they expect us to use tools like the ‘bentua’ bulb syringe effectively? With the election approaching, politicians will try to sway us with gifts”
“Don’t let them buy your vote. As children of God, our worth is priceless. Anything they offer was bought with our own money. So, take back what’s rightfully yours”.
He alleges that the ruling New Patriotic Party hoarded a huge amount of money at home to engage in vote buying during the election season.
“They’ve hoarded large sums of our money. What they’re doing is keeping the money to take care of their family and friends. When election time approaches, they use small portions of the money to buy votes”.
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