Kwasi Kwarteng, spokesperson for New Patriotic Party (NPP) presidential hopeful Kennedy Agyapong, has clarified the concerns raised by his candidate during the signing of the party’s peace pact ahead of the January 31 presidential primaries.
The peace pact, signed by all five aspirants, commits them to party unity, acceptance of the electoral process and its outcomes, and ensuring that supporters do not engage in actions that could undermine peace within the party.
During the signing ceremony, Mr Agyapong was observed raising issues with party officials, prompting questions about his objections.
Speaking on The Cituation Room on Channel One TV, Mr Kwarteng explained that Mr Agyapong raised concerns after noticing that the document presented at the event omitted a key clause that had earlier been agreed upon by all aspirants.
According to him, the missing provision stated that voting centres would also serve as collation centres where results would be declared. He added that the aspirants were supposed to receive copies of the peace pact ahead of the signing ceremony to familiarise themselves with its contents, but this did not happen.
“Initially, the expectation was that the organisers would have served the parties with the documents of the peace pact so that they would have read earlier and know the details and content of it before they came for the event and undertake the ceremony. Unfortunately, we did not get the documents as earlier agreed amongst the parties. So Ken had the first-hand opportunity to go through the document at the venue,” he said.
Mr Kwarteng explained that prior engagements between the aspirants, the Presidential Election Committee and the Electoral Commission had produced a consensus that voting centres would double as collation centres, with results declared at those same locations.
He added that it was also agreed that any voting centre where security was compromised would not be counted, and that this understanding was expected to be captured in the peace pact.
“Before that, the parties had earlier agreed with the Presidential Election Committee and the Electoral Commission that where the voting centres would also be used as the collation centres, and the declarations would also be made there. And so, in the event that there is any mishap or security is compromised, those centres may not be counted. That was what was agreed at the aspirant level, together with the Electoral Commission and the Presidential Election Committee,” he added.
Mr Kwarteng further disclosed that following the objection raised by Mr Agyapong, the Chairman of the Presidential Election Committee, Joseph Osei Owusu, acknowledged that the omission was an error and gave a verbal assurance that the clause would be inserted.
“Lo and behold, when he led that charge, the chairman of the Presidential Election Committee admitted that it was an omission and, of course, made a verbal assurance that subsequently they will insert it,” he stated.
