Elections in Ghana now an auction for highest bidder – Asiedu Nketia on why Supreme Court quashed delegates system

National Chairman of the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketia, has explained why some Ghanaians challenged the delegates system of political party primaries in court.

He says although representative democracy makes the process easier because the numbers involved are not many, delegates have failed to represent the will of those who elect them and have instead turned elections into an auction for the highest bidder.

General Mosquito, as he is known in the political circles, made the comments when he appeared on Onua TV’s morning show, Maakye, on Tuesday, September 1, 2026, while sharing his thoughts on the Supreme Court’s recent ruling to phase out the delegates system.

“Representative democracy makes things better because those who gather are not that plenty. But the challenge with it is that, maybe if Onua TV selects you to represent them at GJA elections, you have your choice and Onua TV people also have you as their representative. The best thing would have been to speak the mind of those you’re representing,” he said.

According to him, delegates prioritise their personal interests over those they represent, and in some cases, their choices are not even theirs but are influenced by what they stand to gain.

“But they prioritise their own choices and sometimes it is neither theirs nor those they are representing but looks at what he will get. Meaning he has betrayed those that sent him,” he stated.

He noted that this betrayal is what compelled some people to take the matter to court, as the delegates system had become a venture for the highest bidder rather than a platform for competence and experience.

“That’s why some people sent the delegates system to court since it became a thing for the highest bidder. Meaning election is no more about the person’s experience but rather an auction that goes for the highest bidder,” he added.

Asiedu Nketia said the practice does not give room for people with good quality who genuinely want to serve the nation to emerge as winners.