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The Member of Parliament for Ayawaso West Wuogon, Lydia Seyram Alhassan, has addressed criticisms following a video showing her and her constituency women’s organizer distributing food to voters during the Special Voting exercise on Monday, December 2, 2024.
The incident, which occurred at the Legon Police Station polling centre, sparked concerns over voter influence and electoral ethics. In the video, Lydia Alhassan was seen providing food packages to individuals in the voting queue, raising questions about the appropriateness of her actions.
Speaking on Citi FM’s Breakfast Show, the MP dismissed allegations of voter manipulation, describing her actions as compassionate rather than politically motivated. She explained that the gesture began after a voter requested water, prompting her team to provide water and food to others who appeared tired or hungry.
“I thought that there were some people who would need food after I had served my people,” she said. “Did you see me giving out food to the people in the queue? The lady with me received a request for water, and in her attempt to give it to the person who requested it, she ended up giving it to two other people who also needed water.”
Lydia Alhassan maintained that her presence at the polling centre was solely to oversee the voting process as a stakeholder and to ensure everything was proceeding smoothly. She clarified that the food was primarily meant for party agents and media personnel facilitating the process.
Critics, including her political opponent John Dumelo, argued that such acts could undermine the fairness of the electoral process. However, the MP rejected these claims, stating that she had left the location before any further incidents occurred.
“When I was asked about the incident, I said I was not near there and didn’t know anything about it. Later, I saw a video of my opponents calling me names,” she remarked.
