Pentecostal and Charismatic Council, others to launch peace campaign November 3

The Ghana Pentecostal and Charismatic Council (GPCC), in collaboration with other ecumenical councils, is to launch a peace campaign on November 3, 2024, ahead of the December 7, general election.

The initiative is being implemented with the support of the Christian Council of Ghana, the Office of the National Chief Imam, and the National Association of Charismatic Christian Churches, among others.

The campaign, which is on the theme: “Let peace prevail,” aims to promote peace before, during and after the elections.

The event is expected to be attended by President Nana Akufo-Addo, flag bearers of political parties, as well as independent candidates, the Peace Council, the National Chief Imam, Sheikh Nuhu Sharubutu; the Chief Justice, Justice Gertrude Torkonno; the Electoral Commission, Members of Parliament and the Inspector General of Police, Dr George Dampare, among others.

Activities

The General Secretary of GPCC, Apostle Emmanuel Tettey, who announced this at a press conference in Accra yesterday, said the campaign would involve a series of activities geared towards incident-free elections.

It includes a peace walk on November 9, 2024, a prayer session on November 22, 2024, and an engagement with political parties.

“We are going to have a prayer programme and we would continue engaging with the various political parties and state institutions to ensure that we play our part towards peaceful polls,” he said.

In addition, Apostle Tettey said, they would issue pastoral letters to member churches to join in the campaign.

He said there was the need for the country to sustain its status as a beacon of peace and democracy not only in the sub-region, but the entire continent.

“But we know the times and seasons we are in, that whenever we come close to elections, tensions in the country rise because of utterances that push the boundaries of peace closer to the edge.

“So, it is in the light of this that we have come together to work towards maintaining the peace of our country.

“We need to guard the peace we have very well and ensure that nothing is done to derail what God has blessed us with,” Apostle Tettey added.

Uniqueness of contest

The General Secretary further described this year’s elections as unique, where a former President and a sitting Vice-President were contesting the leadership of the nation.

Also, a Christian and a Muslim presidential candidates were representing the two major parties - the National Democratic Congress (NDC), and the New Patriotic Party (NPP) — in the elections.

He, however, said that the elections should not be a religious affair.