The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has defended its decision not to sign a proposed peace pact aimed at promoting peaceful conduct among political parties in the upcoming December 7 general elections.
The NDC has expressed concerns that the Peace Council, which is leading the initiative, has not created a balanced and inclusive atmosphere conducive to fair engagement among all political parties.
While the party’s flagbearer, John Dramani Mahama, publicly reaffirmed his commitment to peace at the launch of the NDC’s National Peace Campaign, the party believes the Peace Council has not sufficiently engaged with all stakeholders or addressed issues critical to ensuring electoral fairness.
Mustapha Gbande, the NDC’s Deputy General Secretary, elaborated on the party’s reservations, noting that key state institutions, such as the police, Electoral Commission, military, and national security agencies, play vital roles in upholding peace and must act as neutral entities.
He emphasized that these institutions are responsible for maintaining a peaceful, free, fair, and transparent electoral process, and expressed concerns about whether this impartiality would be fully observed.
“Institutions of states such as the police, the Electoral Commission, the military, national security. All of these individual institutions play a role, a frontal role, to ensure that they actually are referees to everything that is been done for peace to prevail. NDC is committed to peace. President Mahama is committed to peace.
“But as to whether we believe that the Peace Council’s peace pact is something that has gotten to a standard involving all stakeholders. We don’t think that the Peace Council has done a good job. We don’t think that they have helped this country because people have died out of the 2020 election and they did nothing.”
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