NDC delaying dialogue on vigilantism – Obiri-Boahen

The governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) is accusing the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) of showing bad faith over the impending meeting between the two parties in an attempt to end political party vigilantism.

It’s been two weeks since President Akufo-Addo during his State of the Nation Address, called on the two political parties to engage on disbanding vigilante groups.

Days later, the NDC in a letter to the President asked that the meeting be mediated by the National Peace Council among other groups.

But the President dismissed some of the arguments raised by the NDC in their letter.

President Akufo-Addo again in the delivery of his speech during the country’s 62nd Independence Day parade in Tamale called on the two parties to meet and expressed hope that the meeting will yield positive results.

Some Ghanaians have already suggested that the political parties are only paying lip service to the agreement and making no active effort to disband party vigilantes allegiant to them.

But the Deputy General Secretary of the NPP, Nana Obiri Boahene has told Citi News that NDC should be blamed for the delay in holding the meeting.

He said the NDC acted in bad faith when it wrote to President Akufo-Addo on the matter although there had been an earlier agreement in principle with the NPP to hold the talks.

“Our National Chairman called their National Chairman and in principle we agreed that we formalize the meeting. It was after that phone call that they came out with that letter. They are exhibiting bad faith. The letter they wrote was quite disingenuous, so it is not fair. They always want to create a scenario for people to run down politicians,” Obiri-Boahen said.

Meanwhile the Ashanti Regional Minister, Simon Osei Mensah has urged the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP) to use the 62nd Independence Day celebration as an opportunity to accept President Akufo-Addo’s meeting to bring an end to party vigilantism in the country.

Speaking at the Jubilee Park in Kumasi to mark the day in the region under the theme “Celebrating Peace and Unity”, he pleaded with the two leading political parties to put everything behind them to safeguard the country’s democratic credentials.

“I want to appeal to various stakeholders especially members of the National Democratic Congress and the New Patriotic Party to accept the President’s call for discussions on disbandment of vigilantism in in our body partisan politics which poses serious threat to our globally acclaimed democracy,” he said.