Expensive campaigns compel politicians to reap twice of what they lost — Vitus Azeem

Mr. Vitus Adaboo Azeem, the former Executive Director of the Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII), has given his thoughts about the monetization of political offices in Ghana.

The independent consultant opined that corruption is on the rise in the country due to the unimaginable amount politicians spend on their electioneering campaigns.

To him, a parliamentarian who has spent about GHS200million will be eager to do anything, legally or otherwise, to get the money back in double.

"A parliamentarian needs about GHS200 million to run their campaigns for the primaries. When they win, they will need twice that amount to continue," he told Raymond Acqua on the Accra-based JoyNews’ PM Express.

Mr. Azeem said that, ideally, the funding of political campaigns must be checked and audited regularly to ensure it doesn't transcend a certain amount.

He said political parties should be submitting annual reports on the amount spent on their campaign activities based on the laws of the country.

"We are supposed to have a limitation on how much individuals can contribute to the campaigns, and the parties are supposed to file their annual returns, but these are not done. In Ghana, we have laws but do not enforce them," he stated.