A former Energy Minister and Chairman-aspirant of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Boakye Kyeremanteng Agyarko, has described vote-buying as “a sad commentary on democracy", warning that reducing elections to financial transactions undermines Ghana’s future.

He made the remarks during the Ayawaso East Constituency elections in the Greater Accra Region, where concerns about inducements and voter apathy have featured in discussions around the by-election.

According to Mr Agyarko, monetising the electoral process prevents competent leaders from emerging and weakens the very foundation of democratic governance.

“It is a sad commentary on the quality of lives that you have to be transactional about who governs you,” he lamented.

Speaking to JoyNews on Tuesday, March 3, he drew a sharp comparison between traditional leadership selection and national elections.

“I can bet you that in your own hometown, when they are choosing a chief, you will not allow anybody who is not a true royal to occupy the stool. You will fight to the death to make sure that a genuine royal occupies the stool,” he argued.

“How be it then that when it comes to the national, which is bigger than my hometown or your hometown, we are reckless about the decisions we make and reduce it to a simple transaction of money? We are doing ourselves a lot of harm.”

Mr Agyarko warned that when political office becomes something to be bought, it creates a dangerous incentive structure.

“It means that we are not allowing the best to serve us. And that, vicariously, people will buy themselves into an office for which they do not intend to be faithful servants,” he stressed.

He referenced his personal experience abroad to underscore the risks of allowing money to distort politics.

“I have lived in South America – Brazil, Ecuador and Colombia – and I’ve seen the disaster they courted for themselves with drug money entering their political system,” he said. “The destabilisation they are still experiencing is a result of that decision.”

Ghana has long grappled with allegations of vote-buying during both general elections and by-elections, particularly in closely contested constituencies. Civil society organisations and the Electoral Commission have repeatedly called for reforms and civic education to curb the practice.

Mr Agyarko’s comments add to the broader national conversation about electoral integrity, especially as the country continues to position itself as one of Africa’s stable democracies.

As polls continue in Ayawaso East, his warning serves as a reminder that the strength of Ghana’s democracy, he believes, depends not only on peaceful voting but on the integrity of the choices citizens make.