The Tema Mantse, Nii Adjei Kraku II, has welcomed the initiation of moves by the President to establish legislation that will specifically outlaw political vigilantism in the country.
He explained that such legislation was long overdue and that the president was making history by pursuing the cause to establish it.
“I lived through the Nkrumah era and can tell you political vigilantism has been with us from the very beginning of our nationhood.”
Nii Kraku’s comments were in response to President Akufo-Addo’s order to the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Gloria Akuffo to brainstorm and come up with a legislation that will specifically outlaw political vigilantism.
“In the days when the Convention People’s Party (CPP) was the dominant party, opponents of Nkrumah sometimes trapped live bees and unleashed them at CPP campaign rallies just to terrorise party supporters.
“Such like acts of terror by party vigilantes later degenerated into bombings against Dr Kwame Nkrumah with spillovers resulting in the killing of innocent people and maiming of many,” Nii Kraku lamented.
The President has resorted to legislation in fulfilment of his pledge during the 2019 State of the Nation Address that if an engagement he had initiated between the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to find a solution to the issue was not successful, he will formulate a legislation to ban vigilantism.
“If President Akufo-Addo carries through the move, he will make history, I’m also impressed with the idea to set up a commission of inquiry that looked into the Ayawaso West Wuogon by-election violence, the process was an effective and efficient platform for some Ghanaians to vent their spleen on the issue of political vigilantism.
“The healing process from the tragedy that occurred during the by-election was started because of work of the commission and I commend President Akufo-Addo for solving the protracted Dagbon crisis, which brought peace to the kingdom after 17 years of conflict and misunderstanding.
“The successful end to the conflict means the president has crowned the efforts of his predecessors and the Committee of Eminent Chiefs led by Otumfuo Osei Tutu with success, the sagacious show of political will to end the conflict. Indeed litigation and conflict must end somehow, someday, it is good the president has indeed ended the Dagbon conflict, we can all look forward to a peaceful and prosperous Dagbon kingdom.
–GNA
