You Can’t Win an Election in Ghana Without GH¢3 Million and above – Jerome Sam Drops Bombshell on Rising Cost of Politics

A member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Jerome Sam, has argued that the soaring cost of election financing in Ghana is undermining the country’s democratic process, insisting that political reforms must go beyond expanding the electoral college.

Speaking on the constitutional framework governing political parties on Kessben Maakye show in Accra, Sam referenced Articles 12 and 55 of the 1992 Constitution, explaining that while the Constitution guarantees the supremacy of the law and provides for the establishment and internal organization of political parties, the current delegate system was introduced to control the number of voters involved in internal party elections and reduce campaign costs.

He noted that the recent court decision allowing every registered party member to vote instead of relying solely on delegates could help address some concerns, but warned that it does not solve the root problem.

According to him, contestants continue to induce voters with money, making elections increasingly expensive. He called for a specific law that criminalizes inducement in internal political contests to curb the growing influence of money in politics.
“We need a distinct law that deals specifically with inducement by making it a criminal offence,” he said.

Jerome Sam further lamented the financial burden on aspiring politicians, claiming that contesting elections in Ghana has become prohibitively expensive.
“As we speak, if you don’t have GH¢3 million or more, you can’t contest for an election in Ghana,” he stated.

He argued that without stronger legal measures to tackle vote-buying and campaign inducement, electoral reforms alone will not significantly reduce the cost of politics or strengthen Ghana’s democracy.

A member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Jerome Sam, has argued that the soaring cost of election financing in Ghana is undermining the country’s democratic process, insisting that political reforms must go beyond expanding the electoral college.

Speaking on the constitutional framework governing political parties on Kessben Maakye show in Accra, Sam referenced Articles 12 and 55 of the 1992 Constitution, explaining that while the Constitution guarantees the supremacy of the law and provides for the establishment and internal organization of political parties, the current delegate system was introduced to control the number of voters involved in internal party elections and reduce campaign costs.

He noted that the recent court decision allowing every registered party member to vote instead of relying solely on delegates could help address some concerns, but warned that it does not solve the root problem.

According to him, contestants continue to induce voters with money, making elections increasingly expensive. He called for a specific law that criminalizes inducement in internal political contests to curb the growing influence of money in politics.
“We need a distinct law that deals specifically with inducement by making it a criminal offence,” he said.

Jerome Sam further lamented the financial burden on aspiring politicians, claiming that contesting elections in Ghana has become prohibitively expensive.
“As we speak, if you don’t have GH¢3 million or more, you can’t contest for an election in Ghana,” he stated.

He argued that without stronger legal measures to tackle vote-buying and campaign inducement, electoral reforms alone will not significantly reduce the cost of politics or strengthen Ghana’s democracy.