The ongoing by-election in the Central region of Assin North has been marked by high-profile accusations of vote buying.
Both the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) have pointed fingers at each other, claiming that monetary incentives are being offered to sway voters in their favor.
The primary objective for both parties is to secure victory for their respective candidates, James Gyakye Quayson and Charles Opoku, as the polls draw to a close.
However, it appears that the issue of vote buying extends beyond the two major parties.
The Liberal Party of Ghana (LPG), a minority political party, has also found itself entangled in the web of vote buying in Assin North.
Kofi Akpaloo, the leader of the LPG, stands accused of distributing “tea bread” to voters during the campaign for his party’s candidate, Bernice Enyonam Sefenu.
The allegation against Akpaloo was made by Samson Ahi, the NDC Member of Parliament for Bodi, during an interview on Adom FM’s morning show, Dwaso Nsem, on Tuesday.
Akpaloo had initially accused Ahi of distributing money to residents in exchange for their votes in support of Gyakye Quayson.
In his defense, Ahi claimed that the money he distributed was intended for transportation purposes for NDC members residing outside the Assin North constituency.
However, he did not absolve Akpaloo of blame, asserting that Akpaloo was equally culpable of attempting to buy the people’s votes with “tea bread.”