The opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has refused to sign a document on Roadmap and the Code of Conduct put together by the National Peace Council to curb the menace of political vigilantism in the country.
The Peace Council has been engaging the two leading parties National Democratic Congress and New Patriotic Party and key stakeholders culminating into the presentation of a final roadmap and code of conduct for the eradication of political vigilantism in the country in Accra on Tuesday, 4 February 2020.
The opposition NDC at the final vigilantism dialogue today said the signing of the document is a very premature move because some outstanding issues have not been addressed.
“The view of the national democratic congress is that the signing ceremony is premature, we do not think we have exhausted all the possible issues that are required to have a meaningful document that we can all work to”.
According to the NDC, the roadmap has 22 recommendations: four of them relate to political parties and 18 for government, National Commission for Civic Education, civil service organisations, Electoral Commission among others.
“None of these are signatories to the document we are going to sign. So in effect if you look at the communique we have already signed with the peace council, they actually already cover the four items that are directly relating to the political parties. Cannot be seen to be signing document for which other parties who are playing a part do not sign.”
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The National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP) agreed to commence discussions with stakeholders and experts on the elimination of vigilantism in April 2019 following the events that violence that erupted at the Ayawaso West Wuogon Constituency by-election.
The dialogue was instituted by the National Peace Council. The dialogue was aimed at disbanding vigilante groups operating within or for political purposes.
Secondly, prohibiting the ownership, hiring, or utilisation of such groups by the political parties or members thereof and cooperating with state agencies and stakeholders in the total eradication of such groups or incidents of vigilantism in the country.
