NDC's flimsiest excuse doesn't make sense to even an ant - Buaben Asamoa

Communications Director for the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), Yaw Buabeng Asamoah, has described the refusal of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to sign the Peace Accord proposed by the National Peace Council on ending political vigilantism as clear evidence of the opposition party's dislike for peaceful elections in the country.

The opposition NDC, on Tuesday, refused to sign the final roadmap and code of conduct document on the eradication of political vigilantism in the country.

Not even the Peace Council Chair’s plea for the party to sign the document could suffice.

A leading member of the party, Alex Segbefia, said not only is the ceremony to sign the document premature, but the absence of other stakeholders to append their signatures to the document is also worrying.

This, he explained, is because while the roadmap has 22 recommendations, only four those relate to political parties. The other 18 belong to others namely, government, National Commission on Civic Education (NCCE), Civil Service Organisations, Electoral Commission (EC) among others.

But reacting to the posture of the NDC on Okay FM’s Ade Akye Abia Morning Show, the Adentan Constituency lawmaker described as "flimsy" the excuse given by the NDC not to sign the Peace Accord.

To him, the 8 months journey to end political party vigilantism which President Akufo-Addo proposed after the Ayawaso by-election violence centered on the two main political parties [NPP and NDC] even though the NDC called for the involvement of the National Peace Council and other stakeholders to part in the roadmap to end political party vigilantism.

“It is the flimsiest excuse I have heard the NDC give for not signing the Peace Accord…the reason why the NDC said they will not sign the documented roadmap does not make sense to even the ant”, he fumed.

“The two major political parties decided to have the dialogue and the NCCE, Police, Civil Society Groups and Small Arms Commission took part in the discussion but in the document, they were advised to intensify their roles in elections…it is a known fact that all these stakeholders play their roles accordingly but then the NDC refused to sign simply because the stakeholders are not made to sign the document. Is the discussion not between the NPP and the NDC? This shows clearly the party that does not want a peaceful election in the country,” he added.