Former President John Dramani Mahama has clarified that the recent comments made by National Democratic Congress (NDC) National Chairman, Asiedu Nketia, regarding the party’s unreadiness to sign a peace pact, do not reflect a decision formally agreed upon by the NDC leadership. 

However, Mahama expressed his support for the underlying concerns raised by Nketia.

Speaking during an engagement with residents in Ho, the Volta Regional capital, on Friday, Mahama acknowledged that while the party had not collectively deliberated or decided on the matter, he understood and shared Nketia’s perspective on the need for genuine efforts to ensure peace beyond the mere signing of agreements.

“I read a statement made by our chairman this morning, and even though it is not a decision that we have sat and taken, I can understand the position he is coming from.

He is talking about justice and saying that we should not glorify just signing a peace pact without acting to make sure that peace exists.”

Mahama pointed to the tragic Techiman incident during the 2020 elections, where eight people were killed, as an example of why a peace pact alone is insufficient. He emphasized that despite the signing of previous peace agreements, no one has been held accountable for the killings, and no compensation has been provided to the bereaved families.

“When we sign a peace pact and people gun down eight of our compatriots and nobody cares, no investigation is done, and no compensation is given, then what was the use of signing the peace pact?” he questioned.

The former president stressed that those who advocate for peace pacts must recognize that signatures alone will not guarantee peace.

“He [Nketia] is telling them that everything will not be okay unless we go farther than just the signature on the peace pact,” Onuaonline.com quoted Mahama

While Mahama has not dismissed the idea of a peace pact outright, his comments suggest a call for a more robust and comprehensive approach to ensuring peace and justice in the country, particularly in the lead-up to the 2024 elections.

NAY/OGB

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