The National Peace Council has expressed optimism that the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), will sign the peace pact ahead of the December polls despite reservations expressed by the leadership of the party.
This follows statements made by the NDC Chairman Asiedu Nketia, emphasizing that the NDC will not sign the National Peace Council’s (NPC) peace declaration document ahead of the 2024 general election unless six key conditions are met.
The conditions are a full-scale implementation of the report of the Ayawaso West Wuogon Commission of Enquiry; prosecution of the persons behind the murder of eight civilians in the 2020 general election; investigations into the alleged printing of some one million “illegal” ballot papers in the 2020 general election, and an investigation into the IT systems of the Electoral Commission following the pilfering of the Commission’s laptops at its warehouse.
However, National Peace Council Chairman Dr. Ernest Adu-Gyamfi is hopeful that the NDC will eventually commit to signing the pact.
According to Dr. Adu-Gyamfi, “The NDC has not categorically stated that they won’t sign. They have raised some grievances, and we will engage with them to address these concerns.”
The National Peace Council is open to working with the NDC to resolve their grievances and find solutions. While some concerns may be beyond the Council’s control, they remain committed to finding a way forward.
The peace pact aims to ensure a peaceful and stable electoral process, and the National Peace Council is eager to have all political parties on board.
“The NDC has not categorically refused to sign. They have raised some concerns, and we will meet with them to discuss these issues and work towards resolving them.
“I don’t think this is something we need to be overly concerned about. Our doors are always open. We engage with the parties, we listen to them, and we seek solutions to address their grievances.
“Those within our capacity, we will address. Some matters may be beyond our control, but we remain hopeful that they will sign the pact,” he said.
