Who Owns The Smoking Gun At Odododiodoo?

Somewhere in today’s edition of the paper carries a story yet again about the fallouts from the senseless commotion that recently occurred at Odododiodoo which saw 15 persons sustaining various degrees of injuries.

In the latest twist to the whole circus, or if you like comedy of errors, the citizenry is being told that the two commanders of the “Odododiodoo armies” have agreed to ceasefire sort off.

According to the narration, the parliamentary candidates of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the   constituency have committed to ensuring peace in the constituency before, during, and after the polls.

This is after the National Commission on Small Arms and Light weapons engaged leadership of both parties following the clash that ensued between NDC and NPP members during a peace walk by the former.

At the Ballots without Bullets campaign organized by the National Commission on Small Arms and Light Weapons, both parties assured of a non-violent election.

The Member of Parliament for the area and parliamentary candidate of the NDC, Nii Lante Vanderpuye, said the Odododiodoo residents are one people and that politics should not divide them.

He is quoted as saying: “I stand here on behalf of the NDC, the constituency executives and the entire membership of our party in the Odododiodoo constituency to commit myself to peace before, during, and after the December 7 presidential elections and parliamentary elections. I do this in the solemn belief that in this constituency, we are a family and as such, I cannot see myself vandalizing, brutalizing and attacking any member of my family.”

“So I stand here to say that we in the NDC are committed to total peace. We want peaceful elections, a peaceful environment so that our people will come out in the numbers to vote on December 7 elections for their preferred candidates.”

On the same peace pledge, the MCE and parliamentary candidate for the NPP, Nii Lante Bannerman also said politics is about development and not violence.

“As a person and a political party, the NPP, we believe strongly in the politics of ideas. We believe that the electorates should be given free will without any persuasions or whatever to decide on who and which party they want to vote for.”

“We are not a violent party, and we will not subscribe or endorse any violence in any way. So I condemn what happened the last time in no uncertain terms but I want to also emphasize that politics is a contest of ideas, developments, and progress and that is what I stand for and the NPP political party also stands for.”

For us at THE NEW PUBLISHER it is just unfortunate that none of the two leaders who are calling to peace was bold enough to own up to the violence that erupted at the place.

They all hide in the mere rhetoric that their parties are peace-loving people.

What the citizens wanted to hear was a pledge from them to the effect that they would sensitize their errant supporters to shun violence before during and after the December polls.

That not alone, we expect them to tell us that they would be ever ready to disown any supporter in their ranks who unleashes violence on the other.

We think the pledge they have made is so soft to be held to it in the event of other attacks with just some few days to the polls.

This pledge, as it stands now really did not tell us who actually owns the smoking gun at Odododiodoo…