Providing T&T is not vote-buying – Linda Ocloo justifies support for voters

The Greater Accra Regional Minister, Linda Ocloo, has pushed back against allegations of vote-buying levelled against the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and its parliamentary candidate for Ablekuma North, Ewurabena Aubynn.

Speaking to Citi News‘ Jude Duncan during the parliamentary rerun in the constituency, she clarified that what critics are calling “vote buying” is merely support for voters’ transportation—commonly referred to as T&T (Transport and Travelling).

“People have to come and vote, so if such people come, you have to give them the T&T to go and vote. I do not think that is vote buying. If you think that is vote buying, you can also go and buy their vote, it’s as simple as that,” she stated.

Ocloo further explained that offering transportation support does not compromise electoral integrity, especially when voters are already loyal to the party.

“If someone is loyal to you, why wouldn’t such a person vote for you with or without money? I do not think giving the person transportation is going to affect the integrity,” she argued.

She recounted how she publicly shared her contact number on a media platform, prompting calls from voters across the country—including from Tarkwa and Kumasi—seeking help to return to their polling stations.

“I told them that when they come, they should give me a call for their T&T. We are not giving out money. I am saying that we are supporting them with their T&T. When someone calls you, saying that he or she doesn’t have money for transportation, and I tell them to hail a car and I will pay, is that vote buying?” she asked.

Ocloo dismissed the claims as politically motivated and emphasised that such assistance is common practice across political parties.

“If the person is from the NPP, I do not think that such a person will call me for obvious reasons. It means such a person is already aligned with us. And equally, in the NPP, people call them for money for T&T,” she added.

The Ablekuma North parliamentary rerun, taking place in 19 polling stations today, follows disputed results from the 2024 general election. Both the NDC and the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) have expressed confidence in securing the seat.