As Ghana heads toward another crucial election, the National Chairman of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketia, has expressed doubts about the effectiveness of such agreements, stating that past experiences have shown them to be largely ineffective.
“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 said.
The Chairman emphasized that signing the peace pact is merely a symbolic gesture that does not prevent violence. He argued that the real solution lies in taking proactive steps to prevent tensions from escalating in the first place. “If you allow violence to brew, it will happen whether you sign a declaration or not,” he said, stressing the importance of addressing the root causes of potential violence early on.
The NDC chairman also criticized the tendency to focus on peace agreements after tensions have already risen, pointing out that such actions are often too little, too late. He urged authorities to tackle issues head-on before they spiral out of control, instead of relying on peace declarations to ensure a peaceful election. Reflecting on the 2020 election, he noted that despite the involvement of bodies like the Peace Council, violence still marred the process.
Furthermore, Asiedu Nketia raised alarms about the illegal recruitment of approximately 10,000 individuals into the security services, warning that this could be a source of unrest as the election approaches. “It’s brewing now,” he said, implying that the current situation is ripe for violence if not addressed properly.
In the aftermath of the 2020 election, the NDC contested the results, labeling them as flawed and alleging that state security forces were used to intimidate voters. The National Election Security Taskforce reported several incidents of violence during that election, resulting in the loss of lives and numerous cases of electoral and post-electoral violence.
Source: Kasapafmonline.com/Mary Asantewaa Buabeng