Chapter 6 for economic and political gain. Therefore, persons who may not even hold strong political convictions or partisan leanings, such as some private sector actors and some elements of civil society, feel compelled to show electoral support so as to ensure they are part of the winning coalition, therefore gaining access to a piece of the 'national cake'(USAID, 2011:16). It is no secret, therefore, that Ghana's oil discovery will raise the stakes in the elections. As such, patron-client relationships will be more eagerly sought (Economist Intelligence Unit Report, 2012). This is because the formal institutions that would otherwise have channelled the benefits of the state's resources to citizens through the provision of basic services, among other things, are often too weak or unreliably slow. Additionally, the political currency used in a particular community in election campaign exercises usually depends on the nature of the community, groups or individuals and their political sophistication(Ango, 2008). A study done of the Ablekuma Central constituency in Accra, indicates that politicians were measured by the electorate according to how they met the daily needs of the people by, for example, showering the people with gifts, paying school fees, giving generous funeral donations and generally hosting them whenever they visited. The electorate also viewed its political interest in terms of religion, ethnicity, finances, party, tradition and personality(Ango, 2008). As Ninsin succinctly puts it,'the Ghanaian electorate does not vote as sovereign individuals, aiming to implement certain democratic ideals or rights, but as members of the community aspiring to improve their own material conditions'(Ninsin, 1993). 190