Politics of enslavement: the peanut loyalty trap in Ghana

Ghana’s politics is loud about democracy but silent about a culture that keeps many activists in chains. I call it the Politics of Enslavement.

1. You Cannot Have a Friend of Your Own

Within our political parties—especially during internal contests—some people in authority behave as though your political relationships belong to them.

If you support a brother contesting for Secretary, that is acceptable. But the moment you refuse to reject the Organiser candidate he dislikes, you are suddenly branded “disloyal.” You are expected to abandon anyone he opposes, even if you admire that person’s work or vision.

In simple terms: your friend in power does not want you to have a friend he disapproves of. Your independent judgment is treated as betrayal. That is not party discipline. That is ownership.

2. Peanuts Bought, Conscience Sold

The tool for this enslavement is small. Transport money. A few cedis for “water.” A promise of an appointment that never comes. Sometimes just the privilege of standing close to a big man for a picture.

They give you peanuts that cannot sustain you for a day or a week, yet demand lifetime loyalty. Because they fed you today, you must silence yourself tomorrow. Because they “remembered you” once, you must forget every other comrade.

When people are kept dependent on crumbs, they stop asking questions. That is the goal.

3. What It Does to Us

This system kills growth. Bright organisers are pushed aside because they refuse to be controlled. New voices are told, “shut up and follow.” Merit loses to servitude.

After internal elections, we carry the bitterness into national elections. Some people campaign with anger, not conviction—because they were forced, not persuaded. The party suffers. Ghana suffers.

Breaking Free

We must reject this slavery mindset. Supporting a Secretary does not mean you must fight an Organiser candidate. Accepting help does not mean selling your mind. Friendship in politics should not come with handcuffs.

Loyalty should be to ideas, to the grassroots, and to the future of Ghana—not to peanuts and personalities.

Until we allow each other the freedom to choose our own political friends and make our own decisions, we will remain enslaved within the very democracy we claim to defend.

Ibrahim Hardi Landlord Tamale, Ghana