Deputy Director of the Electoral Commission (EC) in the Eastern Region, Edward Gyamfi, has cautioned Ghanaians against the growing influence of money and bribery in the country’s democratic processes.

He warned that although money plays an important role in society, using it to influence voters could undermine Ghana’s democracy and have serious consequences for the country.

“Even the preamble of our Constitution says sovereignty lies in the people, so the people have the utmost power, which they entrust in the leader to rule the country to make it better,” Mr Gyamfi said.

He was speaking at Adom Brands’ public dialogue on the growing influence of money in Ghana’s democratic process, dubbed “Democracy Is Not For Sale.”

The forum is being held at the Ascension Hall in Koforidua and is organised by Adom Brands of the Multimedia Group Limited in partnership with the JoyNews Impact Makers Foundation.

Mr Gyamfi said Ghana’s democratic system is governed by laws that clearly define the roles and responsibilities of institutions and citizens, urging all stakeholders to uphold them.

“We have the laws, so it is up to us to use honesty and work with the laws. The law is very transparent; everything is guided by the law,” he stated.

He cited Article 46 of the 1992 Constitution, which guarantees the independence of the Electoral Commission in the performance of its functions.

According to him, citizens must be cautious about allowing financial inducements to determine who gets elected into public office.

“Money is good, but if we are not careful of bribery, that will cost us as a country,” he warned.

Mr Gyamfi expressed particular concern that the practice of using gifts and incentives to influence voting decisions appears to be filtering down to the younger generation.

“It is so bad that even in primary schools, the kids use toffees to lure their mates to vote for them,” he said.

He said the situation requires urgent attention from parents, schools, political actors and other stakeholders to prevent the culture of vote-buying from becoming entrenched in society.

“We need to take a critical look at it and fix it before it gets out of hand,” Mr Gyamfi added.

He urged Ghanaians to protect the country’s democratic gains by respecting electoral laws and making voting decisions based on the competence and integrity of candidates rather than monetary inducements.