Former President and flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), John Dramani Mahama, has clarified comments made by the party’s national chairman, Johnson Asiedu Nketia, regarding the signing of a peace pact ahead of the December 7 polls.
Speaking on Joy News‘ “PM Express” on Wednesday, August 14, Mr. Nketia indicated that his party would not sign any peace pacts, which are typically signed to demonstrate parties’ commitment to peace before, during, and after general elections.
“Signing a peace declaration doesn’t mean anything to the party, as previous pacts have not yielded any real results,” the NDC national chairman asserted. He continued that “If you allow violence to brew, it will happen whether you sign a declaration or not.”
Mr. Nketia’s comment sparked reactions from the National Peace Council and the ruling party, the New Patriotic Party (NPP), both of whom condemned it and urged the NDC to reconsider its position.
However, when asked about the statement during a media encounter in Ho on Friday, August 16, the former President described his national chairman’s comment as an effort to seek justice.
“I read the statement made by our Chairman [Asiedu Nketia] this morning and even though it is not a decision that we have sat and taken, I can understand the position that he’s coming from.
“He [Asiedu Nketia] is talking about justice and saying that we should not glorify just signing a peace pact without acting to make sure that peace exists. Because when we sign a peace pact and people gun down eight of our compatriots and nobody cares, no investigation, and no compensation is paid, then what was the use of signing the peace pact? So, I can understand where he’s coming from…,” Mahama noted.
He added that Mr. Nketia was “just telling them that everything will not be okay unless we go farther than just the signature on the peace pact. So I think that’s the message he’s sending.”