By Dennis Peprah
Sunyani, Nov. 14, GNA – Madam Justina Owusu-Banahene, the Bono Regional Minister has called on the clergy to lead the peace campaign, ahead of the December 7, polls.
The clergy must use the pulpit to preach the relevance of a peaceful Election 2024, she stated when speaking at a ‘Gospel Praise’ peace concert organised by the Sunyani Central branch of the Christ Apostolic Church International in Sunyani.
Madam Owusu-Banahane emphasised that though the clergy were not expected to engage in active partisan politics, it was imperative for pastors, church leaders and elders to sensitise their congregation on the need for them to remain tolerant, accept and respect divergent views of their political party opponents.
She said the 1992 constitution allowed everybody to join a political party of his or her choice, saying “the fact we have differing political party orientations doesn’t not mean we are enemies”, she stated.
The Regional Minister indicated that democracy thrived on tolerance and healthy political debates, urging political parties and their followings to remain decorous in the electioneering.
Madam Owusu-Banahene urged the clergy to also educate their congregations on the voting processes to help control incidences of spoiled and rejected ballots.
She entreated electorates and political party agents too to behave well at the polling stations, saying the appropriate security measures were being put in place to facilitate peaceful conduct of the General Election in the region.
Madam Owusu-Banahene called on church prophets and pastors to control themselves and avoid the temptation of prophesying the outcome of the General Elections and allowed the electorates to decide who the next president should be.
GNA