General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketia, has reacted to a study that indicated that nine individuals who are allegedly engaged in illicit activities funded some political parties during the 2020 elections.

According to him, political party executives are usually unaware of the source of funds given to the party for its elections and related activities. He added that people offering the party and its candidates money do not disclose their interest or where the money comes from. 

Speaking to JoyNews’ Joseph Ackah-Blay, Mr Nketia noted that "most of the campaign funding happens through the candidates themselves, which is not declared in most cases to we the managers of the party. So the accounts we prepare, audit and submit, can only take care of monies that have gone through my books as a chief executive of the political party".

He said that even though candidates who fund the party are also given money by interested persons, they are not obligated to reveal their source of funding to party executives.

He added that many donors only refer the party to the help they offered and sometimes its origin in exchange for a favour when the said party comes to power.

Mr Nketia stated that "nobody comes to offer funding and tells you that me 'I am engaged in human sacrifice or anything'. When they finance you too, are they Father Christmas? They would be chasing your ministers when you come to power and then they would refer that (help)".

His comment comes after a study by the Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana) revealed that nine individuals allegedly engaged in illicit activities funded political parties during elections.

These activities include illegal mining popularly known as galamsey, illegal oil distribution, and fraudulent businesses.

The financiers are said to have funded these campaigns with the aim of making friends and ensuring the sustenance of their businesses should the recipients of the funds win the polls.

However, Mr Nketia believes that the cost of accessing electoral office has risen significantly. This, he believes, is very dangerous and can affect Ghana’s democracy.

Meanwhile, the Director of Advocacy and Policy Engagement at the Centre for Democratic Development (CDD) Ghana, Dr. Kojo Asante says his outfit is drafting a road map to ensure concerns raised in the study on political party funding are addressed.

Speaking on Top Story, he indicated that "we think there is a window between now and 2023 where we can have a small look at some short-term measures to begin to turn the corner and we are going to push very hard to get some action taken along this side".