President Akufo-Addo
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo says he is concerned about the seeming sense of apprehension associated with elections in Ghana.
At a meeting with leadership of the Christian Council of Ghana (CCG) at the Jubilee House in Accra on Tuesday, the President said all political actors should work towards de-escalating the tension regarding the conduct of elections so that peace would be guaranteed for the public.
“I am concerned and continue to be concerned that every time we are going to have elections, we have fears in our country about the elections,” he said, adding “we want to get ourselves in a situation in Ghana where elections are a normal situation of our lives; that is what a democracy means.”
The President said the inability of the various security agencies in the country to act impartially, fairly and justly contributes to the seeming apprehension.
“From now on, if we, the political parties, insist that the security agencies act with even handedness, if we can develop that culture in our country, very soon these apprehensions, that we have when elections appear, will disappear,” he stressed.
The Chairman of the Christian Council of Ghana, Most Rev. Ernest Adu-Gyamfi, for his part, called on political party communicators to desist from using defamatory words and inflammatory language in order to calm things down.
He urged them to always use decorous language and criticize constructively in the interest of peace.
The council, he said, also acknowledged the impact that the “Year of Return” had on the economy and also asked that government should make it a priority to construct all roads that lead to the many tourist sites in the country to boost tourism.
Touching on the banking sector crisis that rocked the country recently, the council urged the government to quicken the payment processes in order to reduce the financial burden on affected depositors.
Members of the council prayed for the President and his government, asking God to give them wisdom to govern the country and to make it prosperous.
Their prayer for the President was summed up in the words of the scripture as contained in the book of Isaiah chapter 43:1-2 which states, “But now thus saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine. [2] When thou passeth through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.”
By Charles Takyi-Boadu, Presidential Correspondent