NPP MP Confident Akufo-Addo Will End Vigilantism

Deputy Minister for Railways Development, Hon. Andy Appiah Kubi, has said the President, H.E Nana Addo Dankwa Akuffo Addo is committed to ending vigilantism in Ghana.

He said this in the wake of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo tasking the Attorney General to prepare a legislation against vigilantism in Ghana.

President Akufo-Addo made his intentions against vigilantism known in a second letter he wrote to the National Chairman of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr. Samuel Ofosu Ampofo on the disbandment of such groups in Ghana.

The letter dated March 14, 2019, coming 10 days after an earlier one to the same addressee on the same matter, President Akufo-Addo wrote: “I have, in line with my pronouncement to Parliament during the Message on the State of the Nation on 21st February, 2019 instructed the Attorney General, without prejudice to the outcome of the engagement, if any, between the NPP and NDC, to prepare and submit to Parliament, as soon as possible, specific legislation to deal with the phenomenon of vigilantism, and provide appropriate sanctions against its occurrence.”

"I believe that the parliamentary process enactment affords sufficient space for any citizen to make an input or contribution to the enactment of a good and effective law, whose implementation will enable us rid our nation of politically-related violence, a development that an only inure to the benefit of Ghanaian democracy and to the preservation of law and order," President Akufo-Addo added.

And the Asante Akim North MP believes the actions of the President is a clear attestation to his abhorrence for vigilantism as against the rigid and lackadaisical posture of ex-president Mahama and his NDC cohorts towards the same course.

"You see, this is what we call leadership. The President is really leading and showing the way in the fight against vigilantism'. 'John Mahama and NDC on the other hand are doing everything possible to scatter the dream of the President in ending vigilantism'. 'But once we have started the legislation, we will end it", the revered lawyer adduced.

The phenomenon of vigilantism has become a topical issue in the country following a surge in acts of physical attacks and assaults carried out by members of vigilante groups aligned to Ghana’s major political parties, NDC and NPP.

Some of these attacks have resulted in deaths and injuries on victims including innocent citizens and the President of the land, H.E Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, who had been a bit silent on the issue until the eruption of violence at the Ayawaso West Wuogon by-election, which has almost become the final nail on the coffin, is bent on ending the menace.

To this end, the President set up a Commission of Enquiry to investigate the cause of the violence and the commission chaired by Emile Short recently submitted their report to the government.

The mandate of the commission was to among other things make a full, faithful and impartial enquiry into the circumstances of, and establish the facts leading to, the events and associated violence during the Ayawaso West Wuogon by-election; to identify any person responsible for or who has been involved in the events, the associated violence and injuries; to enquire into any matter which it considers incidental or reasonably related to the causes of the events and the associated violence and injuries; and was tasked to submit within one month its report to the President, giving reasons for its findings and recommendations, including appropriate sanctions, if any.