Political activist PV Jantuah Dadson has challenged the notion that vote buying is an unavoidable feature of Ghana’s internal party elections, insisting that the practice can be stopped if there is the will to do so.
Speaking on Angel FM in Kumasi, Jantuah Dadson said the perception that politics is inherently corrupt is misleading and depends largely on the values of those who participate in it.
“People say politics is a dirty game, but it depends on who is playing it that makes it dirty,” he stated.
He declared his strong opposition to vote buying, particularly within the delegates system, and shared his personal experience as proof that a different approach is possible.
“I am against vote buying,” he said. “When I contested as a Member of Parliament aspirant for Offinso North, I used the money that others would have given to delegates to solve some of their major problems.”
According to him, he openly told delegates that leadership should not be transactional.
“I told them I have never seen a houseboy who pays his master,” he recounted. “If I am coming to serve you, why should I be the one to pay you?”
Although he admitted that he did not win the election, JantuahDadson said his principles remain intact and his contribution to the constituency endures.
“They did not vote for me, but my life is ongoing. Nobody can corrupt me,” he said. “The projects I did for them are still in existence.”
He argued that vote buying destroys accountability, as voters who receive money lose the moral authority to question leaders once they are elected.
“Because of vote buying, the people cannot hold leaders accountable because they have already taken their share,” he explained.
Jantuah Dadson called for a complete reversal of the current system, warning that the monetisation of politics is directly responsible for poor leadership outcomes.
“This is why we have so many incompetent people in leadership,” he said. “If you have money, you win power.”
He further lamented that citizens continue to suffer because of short-term inducements that do not improve their lives in any meaningful way.
“The people keep crying because of these actions,” he noted. “They run after politicians for peanuts that do not change their lives in the long run.”
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