NDC Presidential Candidate John Mahama has questioned the 2024 Presidential Peace Pact’s usefulness, citing historical electoral violence including as the 2020 election deaths and the Ayawaso West Wuogon by-election occurrences.
John Maham criticized the government’s unwillingness to pursue criminals and cautioned that the deal could be only ceremonial without genuine action.
John Dramani Mahama, the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate, has expressed questions about the 2024 Presidential Peace Pact’s usefulness.
According to him, previous incidences of election violence have put doubt on its relevance, making it potentially ceremonial without meaningful action.
Speaking at the signing of the 4th Presidential Election Peace Pact in Accra on Thursday, November 28th, Mahama mentioned the Ayawaso West Wuogon by-election violence and the deaths of eight persons during the 2020 polls.
John Maham stated:
Mistrust is built through a mismatch between words and gaslighting on the part of those in authority. There is reason to be concerned that the signing of this pact, though well-intentioned, could amount to nothing if it is not followed by concrete actions to guarantee the peace by the stakeholders and government. Events and happenings during the last election and during the Ayawaso West Wuogon by-election create considerable doubts about the genuineness of some of the commitments that we might make today.
Mahama criticized the government for failing to prosecute those responsible for the 2020 election-related killings, asking:
How can we think that such killings will not occur during this election? Furthermore, the employment of thugs clothed in security force uniforms to frighten and brutalize individuals during elections remains a source of contention. How can we distinguish between these thugs and professional security personnel, especially when they wear masks and don’t wear name tags?
He encouraged the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Dr George Akuffo Dampare, to oversee the arrest of such thugs and urged stakeholders to ensure that the peace accord results in truly peaceful elections.
