Party Vigilantes: Request for AU and ECOWAS inclusion a 'joke' – Allotey Jacobs

The former Central Regional Chairman of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Bernard Allotey Jacobs says his party’s suggestion for the United Nations (UN), Africa Union (AU) and Economic Community of West Africa State (ECOWAS) to help mediate the process of disbanding militia groups affiliated to the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the NDC is laughable.

“I think people are joking with this issue. But sooner it will be a problem we can’t handle any more in this country,” he said.

His comments follow NDC’s second letter to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo that if the two parties – NPP and NDC – are made to dialogue alone, the situation would degenerate further.

The NDC, however, suggested that the United Nations (UN), Africa Union (AU) and Economic Community of West Africa State (ECOWAS) should be part of the mediators after their earlier call for the Peace Council, Journalists, and Security Service among others as mediators was eschewed by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo who initiated the move to disband vigilante groups.

Nana Addo in his State of the Nation Address appealed to both NDC and the NPP to meet and dialogue to disband their vigilante groups - but the move is likely to hit the rock.

Speaking on ASEMPA FM’s political programme, 'Ekosii Sen' Wednesday, March 13, 2019, Allotey Jacobs who seems worried with the dialogue process said “Ghanaians must wake up and tell both NPP and NDC that they want their peace”.

“We don’t want to witness what is happening in Nigeria and other countries here in Ghana because of someone’s political interest. No, we don’t want that,” he said.

Adding that, “If NPP, NDC really want to disband vigilante groups, they should rather bring the military on board in this dialogue and also use them during every election. All this vigilantism will stop; nobody will mess up with them.”