Founding member of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr. Nyaho Nyaho-Tamakloe, has asked stakeholders in Ghana’s electoral system to do more to ensure there is peace than merely signing pacts.
He says the signing of a pact does not guarantee peace if perpetrators of violence are allowed to go unpunished.
According to him, peace is a by-product of justice and until persons who foment trouble are made to face the law, others would be incentivised to do same, whilst victims of their actions might want to seek revenge their own way.
Dr. Nyaho-Tamakloe’s comments come on the back of the Peace Pact that was signed by all the presidential candidates in the 2024 elections to ensure there is peace before, during and after the December 7 polls.
He cited the Techiman South incident in 2020 for instance where nothing has been done to those responsible for the death of the 8 persons who died.
“There is one thing that we all have to be careful about. This Peace Pact has been signed for the past…, I think this is the fourth time but we have unfortunately seen what has happened even though these peace pacts have been signed.
“I personally don’t believe that just putting a pen to paper means anything. You can’t have justice without peace. We have signed this pact on several occasions and yet there have been serious malfeasances to the extent that people lost their lives. As recent as possible, I think in 2020, 8 people lost their lives and nothing was done about it. Absolutely nothing.
“So, I ask myself, at that time what was those religious bodies doing and those responsible for this sort of pact. Nothing has happened. Government did nothing and those people did nothing,” he said on Ghana Tonight on TV3 Thursday, November 28, 2024.
All the presidential candidates in the 2024 elections met in Accra Thursday, November 28, 2024, to sign a peace pact.
The two leading candidates, Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia for the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and former President John Dramani Mahama for the National Democratic Congress were personally present to sign the peace pact ahead of the elections.
The 4th Peace Pact was under the auspices of the National Peace Council and the Institute of Democratic Governance (IDEG).
Also present at the event were the Chief Justice, Gertrude Araba Esaaba Sackey Torkornoo, the National Chief Imam, Sheik Osman Nuhu Sharubutu, former ECOWAS President, Dr Mohammed Ibn Chambas, Chairperson of the Electoral Commission (EC), Jean Mensa, as well as many other dignitaries.
The opposition National Democratic Congress earlier protested signing the pact until certain demands are met. Following the acquisition of those demands, the party participated in the process yesterday.
