The Greater Accra Regional Minister, Linda Ocloo, has responded to accusations of vote-buying directed at the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and its parliamentary candidate for Ablekuma North, Ewurabena Aubynn.

Speaking with Citi News’ Jude Duncan during the parliamentary rerun in the constituency, Ocloo clarified that what critics have labeled as “vote-buying” was, in fact, simply providing transportation support for voters, a practice commonly known 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.

Mrs. Ocloo further explained that offering transportation assistance does not compromise the integrity of the electoral process, particularly when voters are already aligned with 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.

Recalling her personal experience, Ocloo mentioned how she publicly shared her contact number on media platforms, which led to calls from voters across the country, including Tarkwa and Kumasi, asking for help with transportation to their polling stations.

“I told them to call me when they arrived so I could assist with their T&T. We are not handing out money; we are simply helping with transport. If someone tells me they can’t afford transport and I offer to pay for a taxi, is that vote-buying?” she asked.

Mrs. Ocloo dismissed the allegations as politically motivated, stressing that offering transport support is a common practice across all 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 rerun in Ablekuma North, taking place across 19 polling stations, follows contested results from the 2024 general elections. Both the NDC and the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) have expressed confidence in winning the seat.