Election Petition: Peace Council appeals for peace after Supreme Court's judgement

The National Peace Council (NPC), has asked Ghanaians to remain peaceful after the Supreme Court's ruling on the Presidential Election Petition.

A statement issued by Reverend Dr Ernest Adu-Gyamfi, the Chairman of the Peace Council, copied to the Ghana News Agency (GNA), said President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, the Second Respondent and former President John Dramani Mahama, the Petitioner in the Election Petition, publicly subscribed to the Accra Peace Declaration in which they inter alia: Committed themselves and their supporters to peaceful elections in the December 2020 elections.

It said the duo committed themselves to the judicial resolution of all election disputes, and pledged to restrain their supporters from resorting to violence in the aftermath of the elections.

The Council said both NPP and NDC in 2020 publicly subscribed to a Code of Conduct and a Roadmap on the eradication of political vigilantism and election related violence on the grounds that they were inimical to Ghana’s democratic system.

The statement said in 2019, Parliament also unanimously passed the Vigilantism and Politically Related Offences Act 2019 (Act 999) to prohibit vigilantism in all forms.

It said pursuant to the above declarations and enactment, the NPC, respectfully called on all the parties in the dispute to strictly adhere to the ruling of the Supreme Court regardless of who won or lost in the yet to be delivered judgment.

The statement said: "In this regard, we encourage all supporters of the two political parties not to engage in any activity that is a potential threat to the peace of Ghana”.

It called on the media, social and political commentators to be circumspect in their reports and discussions after the Supreme Court had delivered its judgment to protect the integrity and sovereignty of the State.

"The Peace Council respectfully appeals to all the people of Ghana to continue to resort to time tested non-violent mechanisms to address any outstanding election related complaints peacefully, either through the judicial process or by means of available alternative dispute resolution mechanisms," it said.

It said the National Peace Council and its Regional Peace Councils were ready to facilitate the resolution of such electoral disputes.