The National Chairman of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketia, has declared that the party will not be signing any peace declaration as the country approaches the upcoming election.
Speaking on Joy News’ PM Express, he expressed scepticism about the effectiveness of such agreements, citing past experiences.
“Signing a peace declaration doesn’t mean anything to the party, as previous pacts have not yielded any real results,” Asiedu Nketia stated.
![](https://www.myjoyonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/image-422-1024x683.png)
He stated that preventing violence requires proactive measures rather than symbolic gestures.
“If you allow violence to brew, it will happen whether you sign a declaration or not. That’s why, more than a year ago, I started talking about the need to remove the building blocks for a violent election,” he explained.
He further criticised the focus on signing peace agreements after tensions have already escalated, urging authorities to address the root causes of potential violence before it spirals out of control.
“At any stage when something is happening, I call on those who, in the future, will call us to sign a declaration to speak up and stop it from happening.
"Otherwise, if you let these issues build up and then say, ‘Let’s play a peace football match, sign a declaration, and hope for a peaceful election,’ it won’t work. We did all this and more in 2020,” he said.
![](https://www.myjoyonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/image-423.png)
Mr Asiedu Nketia, affectionately known as General Mosquito, pointed out that despite the involvement of bodies like the Council of State and the Peace Council in previous peace declarations, the 2020 election was still marred by violence.
“Signing or not signing is not the issue. What we need to address are the building blocks that lead to violence,” he insisted.
He also highlighted concerns about the illegal recruitment of about 10,000 individuals into the security services, warning that this could be a brewing source of unrest.
“It’s brewing now,” he added.
In the 2020 election, the NDC protested the results, describing them as “flawed” and alleging that state security forces were used to intimidate voters in their strongholds.
The National Election Security Taskforce (NESTF) reported that eight lives were lost during the 2020 general elections, with 61 recorded cases of electoral and post-electoral violence across the country, including six incidents involving gunshots.
Latest Stories
-
New president of UN General Assembly calls for unity to tackle borderless issues
25 mins -
As Harris and Trump debated, a social media battle raged
50 mins -
AngloGold in $2.5bn deal for Centamin, targets ‘Tier 1’ assets
1 hour -
Harris rattles Trump in combative debate
1 hour -
Congressman Joe Wilson collapses at event, rushed to hospital
1 hour -
California passes requirements on carmakers and domestic violence
2 hours -
Takeaways from the Harris-Trump presidential debate
2 hours -
Key quotes from the Harris-Trump debate
2 hours -
Taylor Swift says she will vote for Kamala Harris
2 hours -
Protesters storm Mexico’s Senate after ruling party wins votes for court overhaul
2 hours -
Medics plead for vaccines in DR Congo’s mpox battleground
3 hours -
IWEN-Ghana advocates Government of National Unity to replace the current system
3 hours -
Give us long-term loans – farmer appeals to government
4 hours -
Portion of insured Americans was 92% in 2023, Census data shows
4 hours -
Sanction non-performing MDCEs – Local Government Ministry urged
4 hours