NDC, NPP deliberating on ending vigilantism – Oppong Nkrumah

The National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP) have begun some closed-door meetings to discuss effective ways of disbanding their respective vigilante groups in the country.

Minister of Information, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah made this known in an interview on Eyewitness News on Friday.

“It is my understanding that the two parties have been engaging…What we have to do is to give them our support. The ideas coming from both sides seem plausible,” the Minister said.

President Nana Akufo-Addo, while delivering the 2019 State of the Nation Address instructed the leadership of the governing NPP to extend an invitation to the opposition NDC to discuss how to disband their respective vigilante groups.

Citing the recent violence that marred the Ayawaso West Wuogon constituency due to activities of supposed politically-aligned vigilante groups, President Akufo-Addo promised to use legislation to stop the phenomenon of political vigilantism if the two parties fail to stop it voluntarily.

“I want to use the platform of this Message to make a sincere, passionate appeal to the leaders of the two main political parties in our country, NPP and NDC, to come together, as soon as possible, preferably next week, to agree on appropriate measures to bring an end to this worrying and unacceptable phenomenon of vigilantism in our body politic,” he said.

“I have asked the leadership of the NPP to extend an invitation to the leadership of the NDC for such a meeting. The security services of the country will be on standby to assist this meeting… If voluntary disbandment by the parties is not feasible, then I will initiate legislation on the matter. Vigorous debate and the exchange of ideas should be the true basis of political dialogue and competition in our country, not the activities of party vigilante groups,” Akufo-Addo added.

The Minister of Information indicated that the two parties will offer some recommendations to government after their deliberations.

Former President John Dramani Mahama had earlier said President Nana Akufo-Addo’s call on the two leading political parties to come together and find a way to disband vigilante groups aligned to their parties won’t work because it is too simplistic.

He indicated that disbanding political vigilantes in the country goes beyond political parties.

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By: Marian Ansah| citinewsroom.com| Ghana
Follow @EfeAnsah

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