Minority parties in Ghana are harmless – Peace Council on the snub

The National Peace Council has said that other minority political parties were snubbed in the peace pact signed ahead of the December 7 election because they are harmless.

“Minority parties have not really been in the focus of the past few years and so this year we wanted to focus on these two parties who have been the major source of worrying for the whole country. That was why for this particular peace pact we narrowed it out to just the NDC and the NPP”. Reverend Dr. Ernest Adu-Gyamfi, Chairman of the National Peace Council said this in an interview with GBC’s radio show Behind the News.

President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, who is the flag bearer of NPP the and former President John Dramani Mahama, the flag bearer of the NDC last week signed a peace pact on behalf of their parties to stand for and ensure peace before, during, and after the December 7 elections which is just two days ahead.

Both parties agreed to a six-point resolution read by Chief Justice Kwesi Anin Yeboah, and witnessed by Sheikh Dr. Osman Nuhu Sharubutu, National Chief Imam, Reverend Dr. Ernest Adu-Gyamfi, Chairman of the National Peace Council among other higher profile personalities and representatives.

This is not the first time major political parties in the country have signed a peace agreement ahead of an election. During the general elections conducted in 2012 and 2016, similar agreements were signed.

However, explaining the reasons behind the exemption of the other nine minor parties that include: CPP, NDP, GUM, GFP, APC, GCPP, PPP, LGP, and PNC, Reverend Dr. Ernest Adu-Gyamfi revealed that, per series of checks and investigation conducted by the National Peace Council, there is no signal of violence in relation to them.

“The work of the peace council is not just what most people see on the surface. We have an early warning response group scatted across the country and these groups pick up signals and they relay them to the head office."

"So far we have not picked up any signals that relate to those minor parties that is why we are confident that we are not going to have a problem arising from those areas”. Dr. Ernest Adu-Gyamfi told Ibrahim Oppong Kwarteng the host of the show.