The National Peace Council (NPC) has stated that it is hopeful that the biggest opposition party in Ghana, the National Democratic Congress (NDC), will return to the Inter Party Advisory Committee (IPAC).
The NDC has consistently been absent from meetings of IPAC due to what it described as the hostile attitude of the Electoral Commission (EC).
However, Miss Joana Adzoa Opare, the Chairperson of the Conflict Resolution Committee of the National Peace Council, revealed that the council is continually engaging the party to return.
“The National Peace Council seeks to promote the collectiveness in addressing any unforeseen or foreseen challenges that will enable full participation of all political parties in the Inter Party Advisory Committee meetings, particularly for the NDC to work towards return to IPAC. And we all know how very important this is.”
Joan Opare
The Chairperson further assured that, the National Peace Council will continue to create a platform of engagements between the various political parties towards sustainable peace in the country
“It is the conviction that the National Peace Council will create a platform for fraternising continuous engagements and discuss objectively strategic means of strengthening relationships among the political parties towards sustainable peace of Ghana.”
Joan Opare
Background & Efforts By NPC
It will be recalled that the National Peace Council (NPC) in 2020, noted that it was working behind the scenes to resolve issues raised by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) about the Electoral Commission’s (EC) declaration of the Presidential poll results in favour of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo.
The NPC at the time divulged that, it was engaging other key personalities and stakeholders who could be of help to address the challenge.
“It is a complex issue now, when people experience shock, pain, and loss, they react differently. Sometimes there is the need to allow tension to go down before you can re-engage and so what we are doing now is to determine the best approach to the whole issue going forward,” the then Chairman of the NPC, Rev. Dr. Ernest Adu-Gyamfi stated.
Prior to his comment, the NDC had stated that it will not accept the verdict of the commission since the result was flawed, adding that it would employ all legitimate steps to reverse “the travesty of justice.”
Rev Adu Gyamfi at the time divulged that the council had received calls from many foreign missions in the country, asking the kind of help the council would need to address the problem for peace to prevail. However, he said, the council had told those embassies to hold on so as to enable it to determine the best way to go around the issue.
Rev. Dr. Adu-Gyamfi also reminded the political parties that they signed a peace accord and as part of that the requirements, were that they would accept the verdict of the elections, go to court if they had grievances, and encourage their members to be peaceful.
“I really want to appeal to former President John Dramani Mahama, in particular, to speak to his people to calm down, and then we take steps to deal with the matter. There are regulations regarding electoral disputes and how to resolve them. Going to the streets does not solve the problem.”
Rev Adu Gyamfi
Rev. Dr. Adu-Gyamfi, who was also the President of the Ghana Baptist Convention, stated that once it was mediation, it was difficult to put a timeline to it and that it would not relent at all in addressing the issue.
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