The party representatives at a closed-door meeting dubbed “Political Party Trust Building Programme” at the National Peace Council (NPC) in Accra yesterday, expressed their desire to have the largest opposition party in the country back to the committee.

In March 2020, the NDC boycotted IPAC meetings following the failure of the committee to grant the party’s request for the EC to postpone all future meetings indefinitely due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

The General Secretary of the Convention People's Party (CPP), Nana Yaa Jantuah, told the Daily Graphic in an interview after the closed-door meeting that the various political parties present at the meeting unanimously encouraged the NDC’s General Secretary, Fifi Fiavi Kwetey, who represented the party, to lead discussions within his party to return to IPAC deliberations.

“One of the political parties suggested it and we all agreed that it was important for the NDC to return to IPAC,” she said.

Meeting

Some political party leaders present included the General Secretary of the People’s National Convention (PNC), Janet Nabla; the second Vice-Chair of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Rita Asobayire; the National Youth Organiser of the All People's Congress (APC), Abu Hassan, among others.

Also present were some members of the National Peace Council (NPC), including Maulvi Mohammed Bin Salih, Numo Blafo Akotia Omaetu III, Sheikh Armiyawo Shaibu and Joana Adzo Opare.

Ms Jantuah said the meeting was a needful engagement that could help address the growing impact of hate speech in the country’s political space.

Flag bearers

The General Secretary of the APC, Mordecai Thiombiano, told the Daily Graphic in a separate interview that it was important for all parties to come to the discussion table and deliberate on issues that would foster peace.

He said it was appropriate for the NDC to return to the IPAC to ensure consensus building.

Another issue that came up during the discussions held behind closed doors, according to Mr Thiombiano, was for the NPC to engage with the flag bearers and founders of the various political parties on the need to tone down on hate speech.

Mr Thiombiano explained that founders of political parties generally had sway on their supporters and their actions, therefore, influence the conduct and utterances of their followers; hence, the need to guard their utterances.

“Normally, the followers of these political actors only mimic the posturing of their leaders, especially their flag bearers so we have encouraged the peace council to take a step further to engage them on this important issue of hate speech,” he said.   

Hate Speech

Meanwhile, the Chairman of the NPC, Rev. Dr Ernest Adu-Gyamfi, has said the country could be pushed into chaos if political party representatives and communicators did not refrain from public pronouncements that incite tensions.

He said the council had reviewed several audio and video clips in the last few weeks that suggest that if steps were not taken to guard public political statements, the country could be pushed into chaos.

“We think that at this point we are pushing our tolerance level to a limit that we have to be careful to maintain the peace and stability of this country and this must be our guiding principle,” he said.