The National Organiser of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), Mr Sammy Awuku, has urged pro-government militia groups to desist from engaging in political violence even if they are provoked.

Mr Awuku has been visiting the five regions of northern Ghana and urging the party’s youth and members of identified militia groups affiliated to the NPP, to stay away from acts that can undermine the security of the nation, especially during by-elections and the general polls.

Mr Awuku visited the Upper West Region, (Jirapa, Lawra, Lambussie, Nandom) and also the Upper East Region (Builsa North, Builsa South, Navrongo Central, Paga Chiana and Bolga Constituencies) as well as the North East, Northern and Savannah regions.

His visit follows calls by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for both the NPP and the main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) to disband their militia groups, failure of which he will do so himself through legislation.

Speaking to the media in Tamale on Friday, 8 March 2019, Mr Awuku urged the leadership of the NDC to heed Nana Akufo-Addo’s call to meet the NPP to discuss disbanding the groups without preconditions.

He said: “We believe that the NDC must also do its part to come to the table without any conditions and let us also help our youth. And again, also embark on a mission of bringing down this pressure, bringing down this tension and also help our nation get out of this unfortunate situation.”

Mr Awuku assured Ghanaians that the NPP will continue to engage its youths to stay away from violence. “Yesterday, we had the opportunity of engaging members and the leadership of Kandahar, we also had the privilege of meeting the members and leaders of the Invincible Forces; we did same in the Upper East where we engaged members of The Rock and same in the Upper West region. And our gentlemen and our men, they also see reason with Mr President and see reason with the NPP leadership and they have also resolved not to be the aggressors, they have also resolved to cooperate with party leadership so that we can eliminate politically-motivated violence.”

Mr Awuku further mentioned that as part of efforts to reorient and reinvigorate the youth, the party will identify their needs and assist them to go into productive ventures.

He said through interventions like the National Entrepreneurship and Innovative Programme (NEIP) and others that the government has introduced, some of the groups can be offered financial support to start businesses.