Johnson Asiedu Nketiah
The Opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has says it won’t sign a peace declaration ahead of Ghana’s upcoming election.
National Chairman Johnson Asiedu Nketiah said the party won’t sign the Peace pact by expressing scepticism about the effectiveness of such agreements, citing past experiences.
“Signing a peace declaration doesn’t mean anything to the party, as previous pacts have not yielded any real results,” Asiedu Nketiah stated on Joy News’ PM Express. “Preventing violence requires proactive measures rather than symbolic gestures.”
According to him, addressing the root causes of violence is crucial. “If you allow violence to brew, it will happen whether you sign a declaration or not.
That’s why, more than a year ago, I started talking about the need to remove the building blocks for a violent election.”
He further criticized the focus on signing peace agreements after tensions had already escalated.
“At any stage when something is happening, I call on those who, in the future, will call us to sign a declaration to speak up and stop it from happening.
Otherwise, if you let these issues build up and then say, ‘Let’s play a peaceful football match, sign a declaration, and hope for a peaceful election,’ it won’t work. We did all this and more in 2020,” he stated.
The NDC Chairman, Asiedu Nketiah noted that despite the involvement of bodies like the Council of State and the Peace Council in previous peace declarations, the 2020 election was still marred by violence.
The NDC’s history of vigilantism and accusations of orchestrating attacks on opponents has raised concerns about their commitment to peaceful elections.
Former President John Mahama’s comments on violence in 2020, stating that the NDC would “match the NPP boot for boot” in terms of violence, have also sparked concerns.
The NDC’s track record on violence has been a matter of concern, with many Ghanaians fearing a repeat of the 2020 electoral violence.
The National Election Security Taskforce reported five lives lost and 61 recorded cases of electoral and post-electoral violence during the 2020 general election.
Meanwhile, the ruling NPP has expressed concern over the NDC’s refusal to sign the peace pact, urging them to reconsider and prioritize peace.
“The NDC’s refusal to sign the peace pact is a clear indication of their intentions to foment trouble and violence in the upcoming election,” said NPP General Secretary Justin Frimpong Kodua on Adom TV.
Asiedu Nketiah’s comments have sparked debate about the effectiveness of peace declarations in preventing electoral violence.
-BY Daniel Bampoe