Put country above party interest - COMOG tells NPP, NDC

The Coalition of Muslim Organisations (COMOG) has called on the two major political parties in the country, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC), to put the country above their partisan interests.

The coalition also entreated leaders of both parties to adhere to the peace pact signed on December 4, 2020, ahead of the elections which enjoined them to use judicial means to seek redress and also engage in acts that would deepen the country’s democracy.

“COMOG calls on both the NPP and the NDC to put the paramount interest of Ghana above their partisan interests. The leaders of both parties must remember and adhere to the peace charter they signed on December 4, 2020, ahead of the election,” a statement signed by the General Secretary of COMOG, Mr Mohammed Shahadu, said.

The statement also appealed to the leadership of the NDC, in particular, to use legitimate, constitutional and legal procedures to address its grievances.

It further admonished the NPP and its supporters to be moderate in their celebration and jubilation as it was likely to provoke their opponents.

“While enjoining the NDC to use legitimate constitutional and legal procedures in addressing their grievances, COMOG calls on the NPP to also admonish its supporters to be measured in their celebrations and jubilation in order not to provoke others,” it added.

Prosecute culprits

The statement also called for immediate action to bring perpetrators of deaths recorded before, during and in the aftermath of the 2020 general election to book.

“It should be a matter of grave concern to all that some lives were lost as a result of the elections.

COMOG would like to state that the deaths the country recorded were unfortunate. Likewise, the tension arising among citizens in the aftermath of the general election ought to be given urgent attention and swift resolution,” it said.

The coalition added that reprimanding perpetrators would not only rid our communities of miscreants, but would also go a long way to ensure that the worrying trend was nipped in the bud and make communities secure and safer.

COMOG further appealed to demonstrators who sought to register their grievances in the aftermath of the declaration of the election results by the Electoral Commission to do so with civility.

“In as much as the right of a section of Ghanaians to register their disagreement with the results declared by resorting to demonstrations ought to be appreciated, COMOG appeals to them to carry out their demonstrations with civility”, it said.

To the security agencies, the coalition urged them to carry out their work with professionalism by not hurting or incurring the displeasure of the demonstrators, and to also ensure that there was no further loss of lives and property.

Resolution

COMOG called on constitutionally mandated bodies in charge of ensuring peaceful resolution of disputes in the country to discharge their mandates with justice and fairness.

That, the coalition said, was significant because justice was an indispensable ingredient in ensuring sustainable peace and social cohesion in all societies and said: “Verily, Allah commands justice and goodness (Qur’an 16:90)”.