NDC writes third letter to Akufo-Addo

The opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) in another letter signed by its National Chairman, Samuel Ofosu Ampofo has asked President Akufo Addo to remain supportive to both the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and NDC as they meet and deliberate over the issue of disbanding vigilantism.

Part of the letter read: "without prejudice to your prerogatives as President, we think that such a National Dialogue would provide the best opportunity to evaluate the adequacy of our legislation and get a broad consensus behind whatever interventions your Excellency intends. Pending this, we note that the general organizations whose operations are inimical to the public interest.

We also note that your Excellency as Chair of the National Security Council can demand that it ceases the unlawful organization and deployment of armed forces such as we saw in the Ayawaso West Bye-Election. And, of course, your Excellency can also instruct your ministerial appointees at the Ministries for National Security and Interior to take steps to disband these forces".

Attached is the full statement

Background

President Nana Akufo-Addo first proposed the meeting between the two parties when he presented his state of the nation address in February following the gun violence that marred the Ayawaso West Wuogon by-election on Thursday, 31 January 2019.

The NDC, however, wrote to the president, through its National Chairman, Mr Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo, suggesting that the National Peace Council be made to be part of such a meeting as a neutral interlocutor along with other stakeholders.

The president responded to that letter insisting the two parties were capable of meeting at the table to deal with the problem themselves without involving outsiders.

The NDC replied the president in a second letter in which the party insisted on having neutral third parties such as the UN, AU, and ECOWAS at such a meeting to mediate the talks.

In his second reply to the NDC, the president said he had ordered his Attorney General to start drafting legislation toward outlawing party militarism without prejudice to any meeting the two parties may subsequently have over the same matter.