The Member of Parliament for Ayawaso West Wuogon, Lydia Seyram Alhassan, has defended her actions following the emergence of 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 public debate about voter influence and electoral ethics, as the MP was seen handing out food packages to individuals in the voting queue.
In an interview on Citi FM’s Breakfast Show with Bernard Avle on Tuesday, December 3, Lydia Alhassan dismissed allegations of any malicious intent, stating that her actions were purely driven by compassion.
She explained that the situation began when one of the personnel in the queue requested water. Her women’s organiser provided the water, and observing others in need, the MP extended the gesture to those who appeared tired or hungry.
“I thought that there were some people who would need food after I have served my people, and so I decided to give it [the food] to them [the people in queue]. 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.”
Critics, including her political opponent John Dumelo, raised questions about whether this act could be perceived as an attempt to influence voters.
However, Lydia Alhassan rejected such claims and emphasised that she had only come to the polling station in her capacity as a stakeholder to monitor the voting process and ensure everything was running smoothly.
“As a stakeholder, I had to be there to oversee the process. We sent food specifically for our agents and also served the media personnel present. The idea was to ensure that everyone involved in facilitating the voting process was adequately taken care of,” she explained.
Addressing the aftermath of her visit, Lydia Alhassan noted that she had left the location before any further incidents occurred.
She refuted allegations that she had been present when John Dumelo reacted to the food-sharing reports.
“As a stakeholder, I had to be there, and so I was there to monitor the process, and we sent food to be given to our agents, and we even served the media.
“After I left, I was told that there was an incident and I was not there, and so when I was asked about the incident, I said I was not near there and so didn’t know anything about the incident, and it was later on that I saw a video of my opponents calling me names.”