Source: newsthemegh.com
In response to the National Peace Council’s (NPC) request, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has decided to rejoin the Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC).
During a stock-taking conference on Thursday in Peduase, Eastern Region, the party approved the NPC’s request.
The conference’s objective was to assess the institutions’ progress in constructing the resilience required for credible, transparent, and peaceful general elections in 2024.
The NDC has abstained from IPAC gatherings since March 2020 because they disagree with the actions taken by the Electoral Commission.
They said that when the Commission implemented electoral reforms, it disregarded decisions reached at IPAC meetings.
Dr. Reverend Ernest Adu-Gyamfi, the National Peace Council Chairman, urged the NDC to rejoin IPAC at the outset of the Peduase conference in order to foster consensus.
The Council expressed hope that the NDC will make a statement before the meeting ended, having had lengthy discussions about the issue with both the Electoral Commission and the NDC.
The Electoral Commission’s Chairwoman, Mrs. Jean Mensa, urged the NDC to rejoin IPAC in her remarks during the meeting.
She reaffirmed the Commission’s resolve to support Ghana’s democracy by allowing the party to return.
“We miss the fire of the NDC at IPAC meetings, and we invite them,” Mrs. Mensa said.
The National Chairman of the NDC, Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, responded to the demand by saying that the party is dedicated to aiding in the efforts to mold the nation’s democratic and electoral processes.
Although he accepted the offer to rejoin IPAC, he emphasized that before the NDC could attend the organization’s upcoming meeting, the Commission must make sure that IPAC resumes its “consensus-building” strategy for enacting electoral changes.
“On behalf of the party, we accept the appeal from the National Peace Council that we should consider returning to IPAC, but we want to return to IPAC and not any other forum. The other side is for us to work to make sure that IPAC returns to its consensus-building days… the issues that blocked our return should be dealt with before our next IPAC meeting,” Mr. Nketiah said.
In addition, he voiced his worries on the Electoral Commission’s proposed continuous voter registration initiative, which calls for the Ghana Card to be the only form of identity. The EC denied the NDC’s assertion that this may potentially deprive one million electors of their right to vote.
“We will support it if everyone had the Ghana Card,” Mr. Nketiah explained.
The National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) Chairperson, Ms. Kathleen Addy, stressed the value of cooperation and unity in the approaching 2024 election, especially in light of the political unrest in the West African Sub-region.
Re-entering IPAC is viewed by the NDC as a move in the right direction toward encouraging communication, agreement, and openness in Ghana’s electoral procedures.