Former President John Dramani Mahama has stated that the National Democratic Congress (NDC) is willing to attend a bi-partisan meeting which will ostensibly seek to end political vigilantism in the country.
“We have written a letter to the President and we say that the National Peace Council is the best organisation to preside over the talks on disbanding vigilantism, NDC is going into that conference in good faith,” the former President stressed.
Speaking at a
Thanksgiving Service to celebrate his re-election as flag bearer of the NDC at
the Perez Chapel in Accra, former President Mahama noted that the NDC would
ensure that objectives of the discussions at the meeting which would be held
with the New Patriotic Party (NPP) are “upheld.”
President Akufo-Addo, while delivering the 2019
State of the Nation Address instructed the leadership of the New Patriotic
Party (NPP) which he belongs to, to extend an invitation to the National
Democratic Congress (NDC) to discuss how to disband their respective vigilante
groups.
Citing the recent violence that marred the
Ayawaso West Wuogon Constituency by-election due to activities of supposed
politically-aligned vigilante groups, President Akufo-Addo promised to use
legislation to stop the phenomenon of political vigilantism if the two parties
fail to stop it voluntarily.
“I want to use the platform of this message to
make a sincere, passionate appeal to the leaders of the two main political
parties in our country, NPP and NDC, to come together, as soon as possible,
preferably next week, to agree on appropriate measures to bring an end to this
worrying and unacceptable phenomenon of vigilantism in our body politic,” he
said.
“I have asked the leadership of the NPP to
extend an invitation to the leadership of the NDC for such a meeting, the
security services of the country will be on standby to assist this meeting, if
voluntary disbandment by the parties is not feasible, then I will initiate
legislation on the matter.
“Vigorous debate and the exchange of ideas should be the true basis of political dialogue and competition in our country, not the activities of party vigilante groups,” President Akufo-Addo added. –citinewsroom.com
