Flag bearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), John Dramani Mahama says the peace pact signed by the presidential candidates on the ballot this year will be effective if stakeholders show commitment to its purpose with substantive actions.
In a speech at the 4th Presidential Peace Pact signing ceremony, which was organised by the National Peace Council in Accra, the former president said the country demonstrated dedication to supporting such peace agreements only when lawbreakers were held to account.
He called on the Inspector General of Police to apprehend anyone in the security agencies who who hid their identity to cause mayhem.
“There also remains the vexed question of the use of thugs dressed in security service uniforms to intimidate and brutalize citizens during elections. How can we tell these thugs from the professional members of the security services especially when they carry no name tags and they conceal their faces with facial masks?
“I will suggest to the IGP to instruct the arrest and detention of any such persons during the election and to be kept until the election is over. These are legitimate questions that must retrospectively be accounted for to give true meaning to this peace pact lest it remains just a peace of paper,” former President Mahama stressed.
He encouraged all stakeholders to work assiduously to preserve the peace as the country heads into its 9th general election.
Following his address, Mr. Mahama appended his signature to the peace pact set to be signed by the presidential candidates or their representatives.
