Johnson Asiedu Nketia, the Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), has expressed the party’s readiness to rejoin the Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) meetings if the committee is restored to its original purpose.
During an appearance on PM Express on JoyNews, Mr. Asiedu Nketia emphasized that, in its current state, IPAC appears to be non-existent for the NDC, as the Electoral Commission has not been receptive to the advice and input provided by the committee.
He pointed out that political parties that have participated in IPAC meetings have resorted to legal actions against decisions made by the Electoral Commission, highlighting a lack of consensus.
Mr. Asiedu Nketia stated, “Everything you do, there must be an objective, there must be a motive. If the motive behind IPAC is for us to go and seek consensus, and you have come to the conclusion that consensus cannot be sought at the IPAC, you are wasting your time going to sit there.”
Mr. Asiedu Nketia emphasized that the NDC would be open to participating in IPAC meetings if the committee serves as a forum for consensus-building.
He compared the situation to attending school, stating that if there is no learning taking place, there is no reason to continue.
“If you are calling us to school, it means we are going to study. If you go to school and then you don’t study anything, would you continue going there and your parents be paying the school fees? No. That’s the reason why IPAC was established. So let us go back and use the IPAC to be building the consensus. But if IPAC is not going to be used to build consensus, then that meeting is not IPAC” Mr. Asiedu Nketia stated
The NDC had boycotted IPAC meetings since March 2020 due to concerns about the Electoral Commission’s stance.
In response, the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) has urged the NDC to rejoin the Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC). Evans Nimako, the Director of Research and Elections of the NPP, emphasized the importance of the opposition party’s participation in decisions that affect all stakeholders, urging them to return to IPAC for collaborative discussions.
