The foundation for peace in the 2024 elections hasn’t been laid properly – Asiedu Nketia

The National Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketia has said that the mechanisms that will ensure peace in the elections have not been properly put in place.

To that end, he said, there cannot be talks about siging peace pact.

To him, at least an effort should be made to prosecute the persons who killed innocent people in the 2020 general elections in Techiman South before any conversation about signing a peace pact ahead of the 2024 general elections is considered.

The post-2020 election violence led to the death of three people in Techiman South on December 8, 2020.

Eight persons were shot at the Techiman South election results collation center during the 2020 elections.

In the view of Mr Asiedu Nketia, the foundation for peace has not been laid properly hence signing peace is not an issue that should be considered.

Speaking in an interview with TV3’s Beatrice Adu on Monday, August 19, 2024, Asiedu Nketia who earlier served notice that the NDC would not sign the peace agreement said “what is the purpose of signing the peace pact of it is not to guarantee peace? So we understand the signing of the peace pact to be the icing on the cake of your preparation to achieve peace within this election.

“But the foundation for peace has not been laid properly, the foundation to achieving a peaceful election is based on transparency and guarantees that the election will be free and fair, there is a rule of law and those who misconduct themselves outside the law will be dealt with.

“It is not about the commitment, if violence is brewing and you go to just say that I am signing a piece of paper that will guarantee peace, you will never get peace.  The conditions for peaceful elections are there, these conditions are being breached and you are laying the foundation for violent confrontations in the elections. Let us work to remove the things that do generate violence, once we remove them then we don’t even need to sign the document.”

He added “we are saying that go and talk to the law enforcement agencies, let our people hear that the people who were killed in Techiman, the people who were killed in Accra, the people who were maimed in Ayawayso West Wuogon are being prosecuted for wrongdoing.

“So set the yardstick that if you approach any election and you engage in violent conduct there are consequences, but if that is not done and you say your focus is just to engage us  the leadership, it will undermine our leadership.”

 

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