Catholic Archbishop of Tamale Most Rev. Philip Naameh
The Ghana Catholic Archbishops have stated that the phenomenon of vote buying by politicians is an insult to the intelligence and dignity of the unsuspecting voters.
They urged politicians to stop such acts and entreat the electorate from yielding to such needless enticements.
According to them, politicians should avoid the temptation of making promises that they know they cannot fulfill, because that amounts to deceiving the people of Ghana.
They urged Parliamentary and Presidential candidates to conduct themselves and respect their opponents, both in their utterances and actions.
‘Politicians should realize that their political opponents are not their enemies but neighbours who share different views.”
This was made known at the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference held in Tamale in the Northern Region of Ghana under the theme: “Reconciliation with God, Humanity and Nature in the Year of Mercy”.
The Bishops interact with the Northern Regional Minister, Abubakar Abdallah, and some members of the Northern Regional Coordinating Council as well as the Kampakuya Naa Abdulai Andani, Regent of the Dagbon Kingdom.
A meeting was held with Mrs. Charlotte Osei, the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission, Mr Prosper Bani, Minister for the Interior, John Kudalor, Inspector General of Police and other officers of the Security Services in consideration of the socio-political situation of the country.
Electoral Commission
They urged the government to provide the Electoral Commission with all the necessary logistics for the elections and called on Ghanaians to repose trust and confidence in the work of the Electoral Commission throughout the election period.
The Bishops entreated political parties to refrain from announcing the election results but allow the Electoral Commission which is mandated to do so, to announce the results and declare the winner.
They admonished under-aged children to desist from voting. “In the same vein, we appeal to non-Ghanaians who have registered, for one reason or the other, to refrain from voting. Let us all remember that we can have peaceful elections only if we ensure justice before during and after the elections.”
FROM Eric Kombat, Tamale