The Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) has criticized Lydia Seyram Alhassan, the Member of Parliament for Ayawaso West Wuogon, for distributing food to voters during the special voting on Monday, December 2, 2024. The move, which took place at the Legon Police Station polling center, has ignited a debate over electoral ethics and voter influence.
The controversy arose after a video surfaced showing Alhassan and her constituency’s women’s organizer handing out food to voters at the polling station. Initially denying any wrongdoing, Alhassan later defended her actions, claiming that her intent was purely compassionate. In an interview on Citi FM’s Breakfast Show on Tuesday, December 3, Alhassan explained that the situation began when a person in the queue requested water. Her women’s organizer provided the water, and, noticing other individuals looking tired or hungry, the MP extended the gesture to others.
However, Dr. Joseph Whittal, Commissioner of CHRAJ, strongly condemned the act, stating that it amounted to corruption. Speaking to journalists in Accra, Dr. Whittal said, “It is not right to treat as in the legal term, to share food, to share money to anybody in the queue in preparation to vote. It is tantamount to corruption and integrity issues.”
Dr. Whittal emphasized that such behavior was unprecedented in past elections and that it would be taken into consideration for future elections. “So having seen that it could happen to even security officials, we have always assumed that that will not be the case. It never happened in the past but this time round, it seems it has happened so we will factor that into our next election,” he added.
The incident has drawn attention to the ethical boundaries that must be respected during electoral processes and has prompted discussions on how to prevent similar actions in future elections.
