Sekyere Afram Plains: NPP, NDC Sign Peace Pact, Commit to Peaceful Election.

Sekyere Afram Plains: The Ashanti Regional Peace Council has facilitated the signing of a peace pact by political parties in the Sekyere Afram Plains Constituency ahead of the 2024 general elections. Constituency Secretaries of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) signed on behalf of the two parties at a consultative dialogue organized by the Council at Drobonso, the District capital. This was after both parties had pledged their commitment to a peaceful election in the constituency.According to Ghana News Agency, the move forms part of efforts by the Council to foster peace in some hot spots within the region with barely one week to the election. A similar exercise has been conducted in the Ejura-Sekyedumase Constituency and plans are underway to extend it to the Asawase Constituency, with funding support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), British High Commission, and UK International Development.Key stakeholders including the Electoral Commission (E C), National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), security agencies, civil society organisations, women and youth groups participated in the dialogue. They discussed issues that could potentially instigate violence as well as strategies to address them with the active participation of the political parties.Mr. Ebenezer Osei Tutu, the District Director of EC, walked the participants through preparations towards the election and responded to all concerns raised during the meeting. He assured all parties of a free, fair, transparent, and credible election and called for the cooperation of the political parties to ensure a peaceful exercise devoid of violence.Most Rev. Prof. Emmanuel Kwaku Asante, a Former Chair of the National Peace Council, engaged the participants on the need to avoid hate speech as the election approaches. He said hate speech had become synonymous with election years since 2008, unfortunately leading to the loss of eight lives in the 2020 election. He mentioned language, ethnicity, soci al origin, birth status, indigenous origin, sex among others as grounds for inciting hatred.As a people with a common destiny, Ghanaians must live in harmony and treat each other with respect and dignity, Prof. Asante implored. Rev. Emmanuel Badu Amoah, the Executive Secretary of Ashanti Regional Peace Council, said under no circumstance must a citizen lose his or her life because of election. He therefore entreated political actors not to engage in any form of activity that could endanger the lives of citizens in their quest to win the election.