Akufo-Addo doesn’t want break up of party militia – Asiedu Nketiah

The General Secretary of the opposition NDC, Johnson Asiedu Nketiah says President Akufo-Addo is tactically being evasive about efforts towards the disbandment of political party militia because he supports it.

“For him to maintain his position and suggest that the issues mainly involves the two parties so we should be able to resolve it ourselves is very problematic,” he told Kasapa FM on Tuesday.

The president’s call for the proposed dialogue between the two major political parties- NPP, NDC vis a vis the disbandment of political party militia has hit a snag following a deadlock over a mediator for the meeting.

The NDC first made a request for other stakeholders to join the meeting but the President in a reply to their letter suggested that it was unnecessary.

However, the main opposition NDC in another letter has maintained their position insisting on wider participation in the meeting to disband the political party militia.

In a letter signed by the party’s National Chairman Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo to President Akufo-Addo, on Monday explained that their decision is to find a lasting solution to the canker by involving all other stakeholders.

“Our position on participation is quite simple: a lasting solution to the crisis of political violence requires that we involve all stakeholders. This is generally accepted as good practice…the stakeholders in the struggle against political violence cannot reasonably be limited to the two largest political parties,” the party said.

The General Scribe in an interaction with host Kwaku Owusu Adjei on Anopa Kasapa on Kasapa 102.5 FM Tuesday reiterated that, if the Presidents sincerely wants a better way of having an amicable solution on the matter, he should allow for a better framework to guide the process.

“The laws of the country even allows that in such matters there is the need to involve the National Peace Council. How will you deal with such a grave matter and not involve stakeholders especially the Peace Council?

“In the past we’ve signed many code of conducts in every elections held in this country for a violence-free polls, yet eventually you’ll realised that there has been a breach of such protocol by the two parties. So you can’t be serious if you want us to repeat the same format in this issue.

“If the government has agreed that the issue of Vigilantes is a national issue so we should adopt a national approach, then our position is very meaningful for us to tackle the problem head on.

“If you have a clean motive in the matter you wouldn’t be intransigent about this at all, notwithstanding our calls for wider stakeholder participation. We were so disappointed to receive such letter from the President. For us we have realised that the president doesn’t want us to break up party militia in our politics.”