Vigilantism Law A Deliberate State-sponsored Policy For Elections Benefit - Asiedu Nketia

General Secretary of the largest opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketia has described the Vigilantism Law passed a year ago as a deliberate state-sponsored policy for the benefit of the Akufo-Addo government in elections.

According to the NDC Chief Scribe, the Vigilantism Law is implemented to suppress Ghanaians who are against the Akufo-Addo government and are determined to vote against in order to stay on to power for the next four years.

“Vigilantism law is a deliberate state-sponsored policy which they think that there is benefit in using vigilantism in the election. What is going on is that people are saying that they want the NPP government out of the office and they have also vowed to stay in power by force,” he asserted.

Speaking with Kwame Nkrumah Tikese on Okay FM’s 'Ade Akye Abia' Morning Show, General Mosquito as affectionately called alluded that the country is experiencing a culture of silence due to fear of being attacked and maimed by the Akufo-Addo vigilantes for criticizing his government on the issue of violence.

"We have to sympathize with the pastors and other leaders who have not been able to criticize the government over the happenings in the country because they fear death; they are afraid that their lives will be threatened,” he said.

He stressed that the inability of the Akufo-Addo government to enforce the law of vigilantism since the inception of the NPP Government is reducing the democracy in the country to a point where it is being considered as part of normal life in the country.

“What was the last time that you have heard that someone has been convicted of murder? We are looking on for our democracy to degenerate to a point where a murder will be part of our normal life.

“Who should speak for him to be attacked or killed? We have reached the state of culture of silence in the country compared to the era of the NDC where people were free to speak their minds to authority without fear or favor,” he claimed.

The NDC General Secretary maintained that the Akufo-Addo’s government inability to enforce the existing laws on vigilantism is the cause of the vigilantism problem in the country; thus, it does not require a new law but the enforcement of the existing ones which is the exclusive right of the current administration to do.

“One year on after the passage of the vigilantism law, nothing has happened and I have always maintained that the main cause of the vigilantism problem is the enforcement of the existing criminal law and its exclusively in the hands of this government. So, if the government cannot enforce the existing criminal laws but believes that passing new laws will resolve the problem, he is lying to us and wasting our resources,” he stated.