Bawumia commits to peaceful elections

During a media engagement on Sunday, August 25, 2024, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, the flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), made a strong appeal for peaceful elections ahead of the December 7 polls.

In his remarks, Dr. Bawumia mentioned that the pursuit of political power should be driven by the desire to improve the lives of Ghanaians, not by violence or chaos. 

Last week, the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) laid out six conditions that must be met before the party agrees to a peace pact ahead of the 2024 elections.

The National Chairman of the NDC, Johnson Asiedu Nketia, detailed these conditions at a meeting with the National Peace Council’s Committee for the Code of Conduct on Vigilantism and Election-Related Violence in Accra on Tuesday (August 20, 2024).

He stated that the party would not commit to any peace engagement unless the conditions were met.

The conditions include the government's full implementation of the recommendations of the Ayawaso West Wuogon election commission of inquiry, the prosecution of those responsible for the killings of eight people during the 2020 elections, and the prosecution of individuals involved in the illegal printing of approximately one million extra ballot papers during the 2020 elections.

Other conditions include President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo publicly declaring on a state platform that he will respect the outcome of the 2024 elections, full disclosure on the missing equipment from the Electoral Commission, and a requirement for the President, the Inspector-General of Police, the Chief Justice, the National Security Coordinator, and the Attorney General to all sign the pact.

Mr. Nketia stressed that the NDC was not ready to "let bygones be bygones" and stated, "We will not be part of any engagement unless you bring together all the parties."

Reaction

Expressing concern over the increasing use of incendiary language by some individuals, Dr Bawumi at his media engagement warned against any actions that could lead to unrest.

"Our party is determined to pitch our ideas, as we have always done, and to demonstrate the superiority of our ideas over and above what any other party can offer," Dr. Bawumia stated. 

He pledged that the NPP would run a campaign focused on ideas and conduct themselves in a manner befitting a democratic group.

He urged those threatening violence to reconsider, reminding them that such actions are un-Ghanaian and that the country's peace must be preserved. 

"Not a single drop of Ghanaian blood should be sacrificed for power," Dr. Bawumia asserted, underscoring that Ghana's existence transcends political ambitions.