The two leading political parties, the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) have begun separate talks to reconcile members of their respective parties ahead of the 2024 election.
The decision by the leadership of both parties is to ensure peace and unity after their fiercely contested internal elections.
The National Chairmen of the two leading political parties, Stephen Ayensu Ntim of the NPP and Johnson Asiedu Nketiah of the NDC are spearheading the reconciliatory efforts in their respective parties.
Mr Ntim was in Cape Coast, the Central Regional capital, last Sunday to begin the reconciliation process for the ruling party, while Mr Asiedu Nketiah was in Kumasi, the Ashanti Regional capital last Friday to kick-start the process for his party.
NPP
The NPP meeting at Cape Coast attended by national and regional executive members and some leading members of the party, was to resolve internal wrangling likely to impact the fortunes of the party in the Central Region in 2024 and also affect its chances of ‘breaking the eight’.
Present at the meeting were the General Secretary, Justin Frimpong Kodua; the First Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Joseph Osei-Owusu; Deputy Majority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, the Minister of Defence, Dominic Nitiwul, and the Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development, Hawa Koomson.
The Central Regional Chairman of the party, Robert Kutin Junior, earlier in his welcome address, said attempts at reconciling the party for the 2024 election must be deliberate.
He said the engagement would help the party to right its wrongs, better its rights and reason together as it laced its boots to break the eight.
After his welcome address, the engagement went behind closed doors.
NDC
Speaking to journalists in Kumasi last Friday where the NDC held its reconciliation meeting, Mr Asiedu Nketiah said following the controversies witnessed during the recent internal elections, the party decided to embark on the reconciliation process to bring the rank and file of the party together to ensure a united front ahead of the 2024 general election.
He said significant inroads had been made with regard to the party’s reconciliation drive which started in the Ashanti Region.
“We take the Ashanti Region to be a critical region going into the 2024 general election and we couldn’t afford to leave any situation of conflict here unresolved. So we came to join the Council of Elders and the Regional Executive Committee in meetings and I am happy to report that we have made significant gains towards reconciliation of the party in the region.”
He called on party members to embrace the tenets of multiparty democracy and not see persons who did not vote for their candidates as enemies.
With respect to winning the 2024 general election, the General Secretary of the party, Fifi Fiavi Kwetey, said the party was working assiduously to amass more votes in the Ashanti Region in particular to boost their chances.
Source: graphiconline
