By Savannah Pokuaah Duah
Communications Director and Spokesperson for the United Party (UP), Solomon Owusu, has cast doubts on the relevance and sincerity of calls for aspirants in the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) flagbearer race to sign a peace pact. Describing the move as largely cosmetic and disconnected from the realities on the ground, he argued that peace in a political contest cannot be reduced to simply signing a document, especially in an atmosphere already charged with hostility, accusations, and public insults.
Speaking on GTV’s Breakfast Show on Tuesday, January 20, 2026, Owusu said “Peace is not the absence of war; it is the presence of justice.” He added that, “In a campaign where colleagues describe each other as mad, accuse others of autism, or allege stealing, it becomes difficult to represent peace with just a piece of paper.”
Owusu questioned the true value of a signed peace pact, when aspirants themselves have already suggested openly that, any perceived cheating would nullify their commitment to such agreements.
“If people are already saying that if they are cheated, the peace pact means nothing, then what is the significance of signing it in the first place?” he asked. “That is why I say it is not from the heart. It is more for optics than substance.”
He further warned that peace is determined by conduct before, during, and after elections—not by symbolic gestures. As an example, he referenced recent public accusations by Kennedy Agyapong alleging that Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia’s camp was mobilizing macho men across the country, claims that have been met with threats of countermeasures.
“How do you achieve peace in such a situation?” Owusu queried.
According to him, ongoing disputes within the party, such as confusion over whether TESCON delegates should be allowed to vote—point to a process already “boiling,” despite public assurances of calm.
Owusu also recalled that as recently as September 2025, the NPP constituted a monitoring committee chaired by Dr. Kwesi Agyeman-Busia to regulate the conduct of aspirants, questioning why such oversight would be necessary if peace truly prevailed.
“If indeed there was peace, why would you need to monitor aspirants?” he asked, adding that the party appears to be at “its lowest ebb,” with reconciliation efforts failing to reflect realities on the ground.
While stressing that democracy allows for competition and disagreement, Owusu cautioned party members against actions that could destabilize the political system, drawing parallels with the historical collapse of the Convention People’s Party (CPP).
“When a party collapses, it starts like this,” he warned. “Peace pacts, discussions every day, and yet the cracks keep widening.”
He concluded by insisting that genuine peace cannot exist in an environment of persistent mistrust and name-calling.
“Only yesterday, one person was calling the other a liar. How do you work with a liar?” he asked.
Owusu’s comments come amid heightened tension within the NPP as flagbearer aspirants prepare to sign a peace pact aimed at ensuring unity and restraint throughout the internal electoral process.
