In Ghanaian politics, there are two seasons that never fail to arrive: the rainy season and the season of moral outrage. The Ayawaso East by-election has graciously given us both.
When allegations of vote-buying surfaced during the NDC’s parliamentary primary, many expected the usual political gymnastics, denial, deflection, and dramatic amnesia. Instead, the party did something rather inconvenient: it set up a committee to investigate its own candidate.
Now, pause there.
In a political culture where parties often treat internal wrongdoing like a family secret to be buried under the ancestral cocoa farm, the mere act of probing oneself is almost revolutionary. Three members were appointed. Complaints were received. Evidence was reviewed. Stakeholders were engaged. A report was produced. The Functional Executive Committee debated it.
Was the outcome perfect? May be not. The committee found no basis to disqualify the candidate, citing time constraints, constitutional gaps, and the looming Electoral Commission deadline. In other words, democracy met a calendar and the calendar was winning.
But here is the uncomfortable truth, the NDC publicly acknowledged concerns about alleged monetisation in internal elections. It even announced sanctions and expanded the committee for further inquiry.
In Ghana, that alone is headline-worthy.
Contrast this with the alternative tradition across the aisle. In the NPP’s moral universe, allegations are not investigated as they are “strategically ignored.” Silence is golden, especially when it protects one’s own. In that political theology, loyalty is superior to legality, and solidarity outranks scrutiny. Back in Ayawaso West Waguon in 2024, the NPP saw no evil, heard no evil. Anyone who condemned it then, has the moral right to do so now.
If vote-buying were an Olympic sport, both parties might qualify for the finals. But at least one side is willing to admit the stadium exists.
The NDC majority initially called for annulment if the allegations proved true. It signals a culture of imperfect, evolving, but conscious. The party’s decision to maintain Baba Jamal as candidate was justified on procedural and legal grounds: time constraints, potential court challenges, and constitutional limitations. One may debate the adequacy of those reasons, but they were reasons given openly, not whispered behind closed doors.
Democracy, after all, is not the absence of flaws. It is the management of them in daylight.
Meanwhile, the Office of the Special Prosecutor invited the candidate for questioning. He honoured the invitation. He was granted self-recognisance bail. The legal process continues. That is how republics breathe.
And then there is the curious case of Baba Jamal himself , a former MP, former High Commissioner to Nigeria, who relinquished a prestigious diplomatic appointment to contest a constituency seat. Critics scoff. Cynics speculate. But let us be honest: in a political culture often accused of clinging to high office at all costs, stepping down to seek the verdict of a smaller electorate is either political folly or calculated commitment.
Baba Jamal, his team, and indeed all the contestants in the primaries must take valuable lessons from this episode. Regardless of the controversy, the NDC remains confident of victory. For Baba Jamal to step down from the high office of High Commissioner to contest for the Ayawaso East seat suggests he may genuinely believe he has a meaningful contribution to make at the constituency level. It is therefore not unreasonable to afford him the opportunity to prove himself. After all, one does not throw away a child simply because the bathwater is dirty.
Perhaps both.
Is it unreasonable to consider that he believes he has something to contribute at the constituency level? That public service is not strictly hierarchical? That impact is not measured by diplomatic cocktail invitations but by street-level engagement?
Ghanaians are discerning. They understand that no party is saintly. But they also recognise patterns. One party investigates its own, debates publicly, expands inquiries, and promises sanctions. The other often closes ranks and calls press conferences to explain why the sun is responsible.
This is not about canonising the NDC. It is about acknowledging a political reflex: when confronted with allegations, they did not pretend the allegations were fiction. They did not accuse the media of sabotage. They did not insist that television sets distribute themselves.
They probed.
Yes, they cited “time is of the essence.” Critics will say time is always of the essence when accountability knocks. That is a fair point. But governance is often the art of balancing legal timelines with moral expectations. The by-election date is fixed. The Electoral Commission will not extend it for philosophical reflection.
So the party chose continuity while promising reform.
One must be honest enough to sting both sides. Vote-buying whether by cash, television, rice, or poetic promises corrode internal democracy. It insults delegates and mocks ideology. If all candidates admitted inappropriate conduct, then all must face consequences. Equal sanctions must not be a slogan but a practice.
Yet there is something instructive here: a party willing to condemn monetisation within its ranks is already a step ahead of one that refuses to pronounce the word.
And to the electorate of Ayawaso East: the ultimate sanction lies not in party committees but at the ballot box. Democracy’s final audit is conducted by voters, not executives.
Perhaps the greatest lesson in this episode is simple: accountability is messy, inconvenient, and politically risky. But it is necessary.
You cannot throw a baby out with the bathwater but neither should you pretend the water is clean.
If Ghana’s democracy is to mature, parties must move from selective outrage to consistent standards. Today it is Baba Jamal. Tomorrow it may be someone else. What matters is not the name but the norm.
In this contest of moral reflexes, one party at least opened the curtains. The other prefers mood lighting.
Leson: a party that washes its linen in the open may embarrass itself, but at least it wears clean clothes tomorrow. The one that hides its stains only perfumes decay.
By Evans Mawunyo Tsikata
