The Chairperson of the Upper Presbytery of Presbyterian Church of Ghana (PCG), Rev. James Kwame Awuni has said it is God who chooses leaders and urged Ghanaians to choose peace in the upcoming general elections.
He said this during a Peace Carol Night held by the church at the PCG Epiphany Congregation in Wa on November 30, 2024, to promote unity and tranquility as Ghana gears up for the 2024 general elections.
The event, which featured musical performances and intercessory prayers, emphasized the importance of peaceful elections and harmonious coexistence among citizens before, during, and after the polls.
Delivering a keynote address, Rev. Awuni urged the people of Ghana to remain calm and trust in the democratic process while believing in God to deliver verdict, as the country heads to the polls on December 7 to elect her leaders, President and Members of Parliament.
“Let’s leave everything to the hands of God because we believe as people of faith, that it is God who chooses leaders. That is why at the end of the day, whether your candidate won or not, we still need our prayer upon such people that they can govern the nation in such a way that we joy fruits of the land,” he said.
He said all the political parties and candidates contesting in the elections have a common aim for the good of Ghana, which is to build a prosperous nation.
He, thus, urged congregants to recognize their diversities and accept that all people cannot belong to the same side of the political divide, emphasizing that leadership is ordained by God.
Supt. Stephen Antwi, the Upper West Regional Crime Officer of the Ghana Police Service, assured attendees and the public of robust security measures to safeguard the electoral process.
“Security wise, we have arranged for every polling station to have at least one police officer at post. There will never be any polling station without any [police officer or a sister security agency,” he hinted.
He urged the public to avoid acts that could incite violence and to report suspicious activities, as he stressed the commitment of the police to protecting the rights of all citizens during the election.
Adding to the call for peace, Capt. Maclean Kumi Obimpeh, Adjutant of the 10 Mechanized Battalion, reaffirmed the military’s dedication to maintaining national stability and ensuring the safety of the Ghanaian populace.
“For the past 32 years, Ghana has gone to the polls severally, this is not the first and it wouldn’t be the last. And for all these years, we have done creditably well, so this is nothing new in the sense that we have done it before and we can do it again,” he said.
Capt. Obimpeh reiterated that “voting is about the ballots and not bullets” and that every stakeholder has a part to play in ensuring peaceful elections, saying that citizens have a primary duty of upholding the law.
He urged the congregants to be ambassadors of peace by speaking to their family members and neighbors, as he said that it would be needless for one to be wounded while exercising their right to vote or expressing their choice.
The Wa Municipal Director of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), Mr. Nurideen Mumuni emphasized the importance of civic responsibility in ensuring peaceful elections, saying the vote of every electorate mattered.
Thus, he informed the congregants that one is allowed to return their ballot paper if one deems to have mistakenly thumbprinted for a wrong candidate, if the ballot paper bears no official stamp of the Electoral Commission, and if one discovers the ballot paper is damaged.
Emphasizing the need for peace, Mr. Mumuni quoted Romans 12:18, “Do all that you can to leave at pace with everyone” and urged the congregants to endeavor to live by those words.
Mr. Mumuni urged the public to refuse enticing gifts and monies that people that offer them to influence their choice of candidates in the elections.
The carol night, interspersed with fervent prayers, featured performances by the church choir and choirs from other churches, with songs themed around peace and unity.
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