OSP denies bias in vote-buying probes, says investigations guided by law and evidence

The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has rejected claims that it is selectively targeting the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in ongoing investigations into alleged vote buying during recent political party primaries.

Sammy Darko, the OSP’s Director of Strategy, Research, and Communications, said the anti-corruption body’s actions are strictly based on law and available evidence, not partisan considerations.

Speaking on Citi FM’s Breakfast Show on Monday, February 9, 2026, Mr Darko explained that the OSP’s public notice addressed allegations from both the New Patriotic Party (NPP) presidential primaries and the NDC parliamentary primary in Ayawaso East.

“This statement is not just about what happened at Ayawaso East or the NPP primaries. It is generally that we are reminding Ghanaians that vote buying and vote selling are prohibited by law and that we must refrain from it,” he said.

He noted that criticism of the statement’s structure had led to misconceptions about bias, stressing that the issues were simply presented in sequence.

“It is purely that we stated in paragraph one as NPP and paragraph two as NDC. In paragraph three, we talked about what we are investigating in those instances,” Mr Darko clarified.

According to him, additional attention was given to one of the cases because of an alleged attack on an OSP officer during the conduct of official duties at the Ayawaso East primary.

“We dedicated a little more to a particular candidate because that candidate had assaulted an OSP officer in the performance of this work during the election,” he said.

The OSP earlier announced investigations into alleged vote buying during the NPP presidential primaries held on January 31, 2026, and the NDC parliamentary primary in Ayawaso East on February 7, 2026.

Reports from the Ayawaso East contest indicated that some delegates received items such as television sets, coolers, and food, while similar allegations emerged during the NPP primaries, where some supporters were accused of distributing cash to delegates.

The OSP maintains that all credible allegations will be investigated and appropriate legal action taken where evidence supports prosecution, as part of efforts to protect the integrity of Ghana’s electoral processes.