Charlotte Osei, EC Boss
Chairperson of the Electoral Commission (EC) Charlotte Osei, has prayed fervently asking for God’s intervention against any form of violence in the December 7 general election.
Clad in white apparel, Ms Osei and other female members of the commission, supported by other women groups, grabbed the microphone and took the elections before God to elect a president for Ghanaians.
She prayed to God to shame the enemies and allow His (God’s) choice to win the elections that she is presiding over. “We shall have divine outcome in the election. You are the God who enthrones Kings. Let your will be done,” she pleaded.
The EC boss asked God to also take control of the airwaves and social media and other media outlets to prevent abuses. The media have been urged not to declare the election results, and the prayer may be directed towards preventing them from declaring results.
The country’s political temperature is currently high and some political and security analysts have maintained that the tension has been heightened due to doubts over the EC’s neutrality in the whole electoral processes.
The selective law enforcement being exhibited by the security agencies, particularly the police, is also escalating the tension, according to the NPP.
In spite of the anxiety that has gripped some Ghanaians over possible violence, the EC boss is optimistic that God will come to rescue the people of Ghana.
Ms Osei made the intercessory prayer at one of the monthly sessions of Women’s Aglow Ministry in Accra at the weekend where she prayed for safety of the commission’s officials, the electoral materials and what was termed as the ‘destructive abuse of social media,’ which the authorities have not hidden their desire to ban if it became critical.
“Father we declare there shall be no war in Ghana. We shall have a divine outcome in the elections. … You are the God who enthrones kings… let your will be done,” she prayed.
Asking God for divine protection for all politicians, the security agencies and all stakeholders in the December 7 elections, she prayed, “When the enemies rise to destroy the beauty of the electoral process, frustrate their efforts and let us have a nation where the righteous will rule.”
Aglow’s National Prayer Director, Gifty Affenyi-Dadzie, led hundreds of women to offer the intercessory prayers for the country and they also prayed for God’s protection for the EC boss to supervise a free, fair and transparent exercise.
Mrs Affenyi-Dadzie drawing inspiration from the Bible, urged the EC not to be intimidated by individuals and groups who might want to mar the electoral process and asked her to remain steadfast in the discharge of her duties.
She, however, asked Mrs. Osei and her commission to put their house in order to ensure that all temporary staff recruited to assist it at various levels would not corrupt and compromise the electoral process.
Later, a symbolic pot was broken to signify the divine intervention of God in all matters relating to violence, bloodshed and deaths before, during and after the crucial elections.
Mrs Afenyi-Dadzie said, “By breaking this pot and engaging in other spiritual exercises, we disorganise all forms of organised plans to perpetrate mayhem during the elections; we break every yoke of misunderstanding and abort all evil plans against the EC and the sanctity of the electoral process.”
In the course of the symbolic exercise, the EC boss submitted her prayer request to God, calling for renewed strength and co-operation from political parties.
She said the EC is up to the task and ready for the crucial elections, adding that the commission needs the collaboration of all the security agencies and political parties to ensure a credible outcome.
The EC chairperson and other officials of the women’s group asked the media to play their gate-keeping role in an objective and balanced manner in order not to inflame passions.
The congregants tasked the media to always cross-check their facts with the commission before proceeding to feed the public with any information.
By William Yaw Owusu