Ayariga fumes at Peace Pact snub

Presidential Candidate of the All People’s Congress (APC) Hassan Ayariga has expressed disappointment in the organisers of the Presidential Elections Peace Pact 2020 for snubbing the other 10 presidential candidates.

Incumbent Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and challenger John Dramani Mahama were the only candidates, out of 12, in this year’s elections present at the Mövenpick Ambassador Hotel in Accra last Friday for the ceremony.

The previous exercises have seen all presidential candidates sign the accord ahead of elections.

It is unclear what may have resulted in the bypassing of the other presidential candidates but one, Hassan Ayariga, is angered.

“We didn’t have two presidential candidates running this [year’s] elections,” he noted on TV3’s Midday Live on Saturday, December 5.

“We have 12 presidential candidates running in this [year’s] elections and if you want to have a peaceful election, first of all, you will engage all the 12 presidential candidates.

“You don’t engage two presidential candidates and you will think that the rest of us will watch, you sign the peace accord for the rest of the 12 of us.”

‘It is unacceptable!’

The two-time presidential candidate said the situation is an affront to the rest of the candidates.

For him to invite only the presidential candidates of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and National Democratic Congress (NDC) to sign the pact smacks of hypocrisy.

“This is unacceptable and for me this is hypocritical.

“I do not know why they decided to pick NPP and NDC presidential candidates alone to come and sign the peace accord when we have 12 political leaders running these elections.”

He said the implication of the action is that they do not matter in this year’s elections.

“They think that it is only NPP and NDC that is going to win this election. May the Almighty Allah show us the real leader of this 2020 election.”

He chided the organisers for being bias and unfair and said the action will not guarantee the peace they are seeking.