Election 2020: Maxwell Mahama arrested for vote-buying in Jaman North

The Special Assistant to the Bono Regional Minister, Mr. Maxwell Mahama has been arrested by the police in Jaman North in the Bono Region for allegedly buying votes against the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP’s) parliamentary candidate Hon. Siaka Stevens leading to his defeat.

He was arrested after party officials and supporters spotted him in the constituency on the day of elections paying monies to electorates in some remote areas to specifically vote against the Deputy Bono Regional Minister who was the party’s parliamentary candidate for the Constituency.

Confirming his arrest to the media, the Deputy Bono Regional Minister Hon Siaka Stevens said, he was only alerted at the heat of the moment that, the Special Aid to the Bono Regional Minister Hon. Evelyn Ama Kumi Richardson has been arrested for sharing monies to NDC supporters at a farming community in the constituency.

The Member of Parliament said he had no knowledge of the minister’s aid presence in the constituency and if his intentions of giving out the monies were genuine he would have consulted party officials or informed him being the parliamentary candidate at a time they needed money to attend to pertinent issues.

Siaka Stevens said notwithstanding the intentions of Mr Maxwell Mahama, he instructed the constituency 1st Vice Chairman Alhaji Matanga to grant him bail awaiting investigations.

According to party executives who handed the minister’s aid to the police, Maxwell Mahama’s actions when they spotted him looks suspicious considering the fact that his boss Evelyn Kumi-Richardson nearly exchanged blows in an open fight with Siaka Stevens few days to the elections at a meeting in the constituency.

Mr. Siaka Stevens however lost the elections to Mr Ahenkora Frederick of the National Democratic Congress who polled 22,375 votes whilest Siaka Stevens gained 18,206 votes.

Jaman North Constituency which is considered to be the stronghold of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) was won in 2012 by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) led by Hon. Siaka Stevens and won again with a slim margin in 2016.