The National Peace Council (NPC) has commended the National Democratic Congress (NDC) for heeding its appeal to return to the Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC).
It will be recalled that after the 2020 elections, the National Democratic Congress decided not to attend the Inter-Party Advisory Committee meetings.
This became a matter of concern to all stakeholders in Ghana’s democratic and elections space.
At a Post-Elections Stakeholders’ workshop organised by the National Peace Council at Ada in 2021, the participants tasked the National Peace Council to facilitate the return of the NDC to IPAC.
The NPC, therefore, engaged the NDC, EC, and several other stakeholders to facilitate the NDC’s return to IPAC.
During a Stock-taking conference on 14th December 2023, organized by the NPC at Peduase as part of the preparations towards the 2024 elections, the NDC publicly committed to return to IPAC.
Following this commitment, the NDC has participated in two recent IPAC meetings on the 22nd and 29th of January 2024.
"We are hopeful that the commitment made will be sustained to further strengthen the existing democratic credentials of Ghana", the NPC said in a statement signed by Rev. Dr. Ernest Adu-Gyamfi, Chairman, dated Wednesday, 31 January 2024.
"We would like to express our appreciation to the Electoral Commission, political parties, all political actors and stakeholders within the electoral management system for their support to the NPC in the bid to promote sustainable peace in Ghana".
"We urge all stakeholders in the political space to use dialogue and consensus building to ensure a free, fair, credible, and peaceful 2024 elections", the NPC urged.
In addition, the Council urged the public "to appreciate the fact that peacebuilding can sometimes be a slow process."
"Therefore, we must all exercise patience and support the NPC and its partners in building a sustainable, peaceful country. May the Lord bless our homeland Ghana and make our nation great and strong".