Dr Prince Hamidu Armah, Member of Parliament for Kwesimintim and Deputy Minister of Works and Housing, has underscored the importance of safeguarding Ghana’s peace, asserting that it should not be jeopardized for political ambitions.
Speaking on TV3’s Key Points program on Saturday, Armah emphasized the need to preserve the nation’s peace above all else.
“We must protect the peace we enjoy and cannot sacrifice it for anyone’s political aspirations,” Armah stated.
“The peace of Ghana is paramount and should be guarded jealously.”
In contrast, Yaw Buaben Asamoa, Special Advisor to independent presidential candidate Alan Kyerematen, questioned the National Peace Council’s (NPC) decision to focus on a peace pact ahead of the 2024 elections.
Asamoa explained why the NPC addresses peace pacts when there is no immediate threat to national stability.
“It is puzzling why the Peace Council is now emphasizing a peace pact when there has been no sign of imminent conflict,” Asamoa said.
“We were previously engaged in policy discussions, and now suddenly there’s a push for a peace pact, which seems to imply a threat that doesn’t exist.”
Asamoa criticized the NPC’s approach, suggesting it created unnecessary urgency.
“The way the Peace Council has handled this issue is problematic,” he added. “We have evolved through several elections without significant issues, and the fear of violence or power struggles is no longer prevalent.”
Meanwhile, George Amoh, Executive Secretary of the NPC, acknowledged the council’s limitations in addressing electoral violence.
Speaking on the same TV3 program, Amoh admitted that while the NPC may not have met all expectations, it should not be held accountable for the violence during the 2020 elections.
“The expectations placed on us are often too high,” Amoh said. “We cannot meet all these demands. While we may not have met all expectations, we cannot be blamed for the 2020 electoral violence.”
Amoh also suggested that the NPC may need to engage in public education about its role, as there are misunderstandings about its capabilities.
“We may need to educate the public on our mandate,” he said. “We do not have the authority to make certain decisions; those responsibilities lie with the courts.”
Regarding the conditions set by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) for signing the peace pact, Amoh described them as fair and indicated that the NPC is currently evaluating which conditions can be implemented and which need to be referred to other bodies.
“The conditions are fair,” Amoh noted. “We need to review them to determine which ones we can address and which we must refer to appropriate authorities.”
The NDC, led by National Chairman Johnson Asiedu Nketia, has outlined several conditions for endorsing the peace pact before the December 7 elections.
Nketia has previously expressed scepticism about the effectiveness of peace pacts, citing unresolved issues from the 2020 elections.
During a meeting with NPC members at the NDC headquarters on August 20, Nketia detailed the conditions, including full implementation of investigations into the Ayawaso West Wuogon by-election incidents, prosecution of those involved in election violence, and actions related to ballot paper printing.
The NDC also seeks a resolution on missing IT equipment from the Electoral Commission’s warehouse and a public assurance from the President to respect the outcome of the 2024 elections.
Additionally, the party demands signatures from key officials, including the Inspector General of Police, Chief Justice, Attorney-General, and National Security Coordinator, before agreeing to the peace pact.
