Our attention has been drawn to an article carried by GhanaWeb dated on Friday 30, and signed by one Mr. Emmanuel Nyarko, the Vice Chairman of NDC, Ireland Ward. The said article which sought to denigrate and disparage the hard-won image of our hardworking General Secretary stated inter alia, “That Sir John did not understand the essence of the Kumasi Declaration or blatantly ignored the importance of it”. NPP Republic of Irelands takes serious exception to this statement and calls on Mr. Emmanuel Nyarko to retract them with immediate effect since our budding democratic dispensation does not permit such intemperate and impolite political discourses. Mr. Nyarko, Mr. Owusu Afriyie and by extension, the NPP, understood every bit of the “Kumasi Declaration”. If you care to know, the NPP, the offshoot of the UGCC/PP/UP/PFP was built on the foundations of Rule of Law and Separation of Powers. This is the more reason why J.B. Danquah and Obetsebi Lamptey died in prison fighting Kwame Nkrumah’s dictatorship. That our forbears stood for peace and not violence contrary to what you purported in your highly insinuated article could be seen in how they PEACEFULLY negotiated for our independence through “gradual and constitutional means” (when they could have resorted to other crude means to achieve that end). Mr. Nyako, do a quick background check on your party, the PNDC/NDC and you will be surprised to learn the untold levels of all manner of human rights excesses their tenure have visited our dear country over the decades.

For your humble information, the “Kumasi Declaration” did not commit the contesting parties to stand idle whilst the ruling party covertly or overtly embark on what it is skilful and deft at doing- wholesale vote rigging. Again, the “Kumasi Declaration” did not advise (our) representatives of political parties to fold their arms or keep mute even when there is clear evidence that people’s democratic wishes and aspirations are being tampered with or compromised at will. The NPP as a Libertarian Democratic party will always stand for peace. It will and shall always espouse this noble principle at every instance and opportunity; and we will NEVER be the first to cast the stone as our indefatigable Ms. Ursula Owusu, once put it. This should however, not be interpreted by the ruling party as a sign of weakness or cowardice on our part. As rightly said by the former IGP, Mr. Acheampong, a couple of days ago, concerning our elections, “We have to guard it even at the peril of our lives to ensure that we live in peace at all times”. Yes, we need to fight off all forms of injustice today in order to secure a brighter future tomorrow. And so, Mr. Nyarko, it is about time you appreciated that democracy and some form of passive/positive resistance are inextricably linked; otherwise the world will not be calling for some shape of United Nations Standing Arming to resist the oppressors rule wherever they may be.

As it is, one needs no canvass painting to know that the NDC government is dead bent on rigging this election which is why our steely and plain-talking General Secretary was calling on all peace loving Ghanaians to protect their God-given rights on the D-Day, pure and simple!. Mr. Nyarko, was it not your party founder, Mr. Rawlings who asked NDC supporters to protect the ballot boxes with their blood way back in 2008? Who said then, that Ghana will burn like Kenya if NPP attempted anything foul? Who recently declared to and instigated the rank and file of your party to embark on positive resistance against the founder? Afterall, our records have it that in the past, your party machinery had tried to cow the likes of Ms. Owusu and Sir John into submission in all forms imaginable, but they failed. Then lately, they have directed their attention at Messrs Anthony Abayirifa Karbo and Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh-Why?
If the NDC government have no ulterior motives, then, why should there be a cause for alarm about Sir John’s simple answer to Ms. Afia Pokua’s question, Mr. Nyarko? By the way, can the Electoral Commission of Ghana be fully trusted to date and what do you reckon warranted Sir John’s patriotic statement in the first place? NPP has made its position clear time and again-We desire peaceful, but elections that conforms to internationally best democratic standards. Anything short of this will be challenged and resisted by the good people of Ghana and the international community. Long Live Ghana, Long Live NPP, Long Live Development in Freedom.

Ekow Agyeman Prempeh
Chairman
NPP Republic of Ireland Branch