Former President Jerry John Rawlings has urged two of the main political parties in the country - National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP)- to heed to the call by President Akufo-Addo to disarm their vigilante groups.

The former military ruler who called on both parties to join forces to end party militias and vigilantes described President Akufo-Addo's third State of the Nations Address as 'disarming'.

President Akufo-Addo has promised to initiate a legislative instrument to end political party vigilantism, if political parties fail to voluntarily disband such illegal groups.

In his State of the Nation Address, President Nana Akufo-Addo urged the two major political parties to meet and discuss the prospect of disbanding all militia groups affiliated to them.

Akufo-Addo said the phenomenon of political vigilantism has the potential of destabilizing the country and reversing the democratic gains the country has made over the years.

Speaking in Parliament, President Akufo-Addo said: “I want to use the platform of this message to make a sincere, passionate appeal to the leaders of the two main political parties in our country, NPP and NDC, to come together, as soon as possible, preferably next week, to agree on appropriate measures to bring an end to this worrying and unacceptable phenomenon of vigilantism in our body politic,”


Reacting to the call, Former President Rawlings wrote: "President @NAkufoAddo's was disarming. I do hope the NDC @OfficialNDCGh and the NPP @NPP_GH will heed the call to join forces in combating the scourge of party militias and violent vigilantism".