NDC could not nullify Ayawaso East Primary despite vote-buying findings — Fifi Kwetey

The General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has defended the party’s decision not to nullify its Ayawaso East parliamentary primary, despite an internal committee recommending that the election be cancelled over vote-buying allegations.

Speaking in an interview on TV3's Hot Issues, Fiifi Kwetey explained that although the party moved swiftly to investigate claims of inappropriate conduct during the primary, constitutional and time constraints made it impossible to annul the results and organise a fresh contest.

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According to him, the Functional Executive Committee (FEC) was due to meet shortly after the allegations surfaced, prompting the party to quickly set up a committee to probe the matter. The committee, he revealed, found very inappropriate conduct on the part of virtually everybody and recommended that the election be nullified.

However, he stated that the party was constitutionally barred from cancelling the results.

“Constitutionally, we couldn’t nullify the election,” he said, adding that the limited time available also made it impractical to organise a new primary and secure a replacement candidate.

When asked why the EC didn't nullify the elections, he argued that while the Electoral Commission has the power to nullify elections, it had no basis to intervene in this case because no acts of vote buying or bribery occurred in the presence of its officials during the conduct of the polls.

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The General Secretary added that even if the party had pushed for the Electoral Commission to cancel the election, the Commission would not have adjusted its timetable to accommodate the NDC, potentially leaving the party without a candidate.

He also accused the New Patriotic Party (NPP) of experiencing “massive vote buying” during its own presidential primaries, alleging that the party had failed to acknowledge or address the issue publicly.

The NDC leadership said itremains committed to strengthening internal processes while protecting its electoral prospects