The Chief Executive Officer of the National Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme (NEIP), Mr Kofi Ofosu Nkansah, has been released following his arrest by the Office of the Special Prosecutor for alleged vote-buying.

Mr Nkansah allegedly disbursed funds to delegates ahead of the governing New Patriotic Party's parliamentary primaries.

Media reports had said a report was initiated by Mr Kwame Anyimadu Antwi, who is Mr Nkansah's rival for the Asante Akim Central parliamentary seat and brought to the attention of the Special Prosecutor by Mr Felix Amakye, the NPP's Asante Akim Central constituency secretary.

Following the complaint, Mr Nkansah was detained and subsequently transported to his office in Accra for further investigation.

Mr Nkansah is the primary contender challenging the incumbent, Anyimadu Antwi, for the Asante Akim Central parliamentary seat.

Mr Anyimadu Antwi has, however, denied reporting the matter to the OSP.

“If you are talking about reporting anybody to the OSP, I have no idea, but he [Felix Amakye] is on record saying that my preferred candidate has been paying GH¢500,000 and promised to pay GH¢1 million to people and he said these things on Facebook”, he told Accra-based Citi FM.

The NPP is scheduled to conduct parliamentary primaries for constituencies with sitting MPs on January 27, 2024.