The Reverend Dr. Lawrence Tetteh, a renowned international evangelist, has urged religious leaders not to make statements that will divide the citizens along religious conflicts ahead of the 2024 General Election.
Irresponsible statements, he explained, would undermine the peace and admirable interfaith cohesion the nation had enjoyed over the decades and lead the nation into violent conflict.
Contributing to a panel discussion on a state television programme, Dr Tetteh said Ghana needed a leader who would serve the interests of all citizens, regardless of his or her religious background.
‘We want a president, not a religious leader; we want a leader who can embrace all and sundry to resolve the common challenges we face, and we need to be very careful at this time,’ he emphasised.
‘I am quick to say that I am a Christian; my grandfather was a king, so he was an Aglican; and my grandmother was a Methodist. My father died a Presbyterian, and my mom, who is watching me today, is a Methodist. I am a Christi
an, Charismatic, and Pentecostal, and that should not negate the fact that we need to bring our nation together,’ he added.
‘Therefore, I am also cautioning my brothers and sisters who are into the prophetic ministry that this is not the time to make statements that will only make you popular.
‘Don’t take advantage of the current situation to castigate or make statements that will just make you popular without considering the repercussions.’
Kings, he said, were ordained by God, so whoever would emerge as president of the country in 2024 would be a reflection of God’s will, and must be embraced by all.
He cautioned that the peace and the socio-economic progress of some countries had been disrupted by reckless religious and ethnocentric speeches and Ghana need not follow suit.
Following the ruling New Patriotic Party’s election of Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, on November 4, as its flagbearer, some political activists and social commentators are making religious affiliation one of the yardsticks for
becoming a president.
This is the first time a Muslim is leading one of the dominant parties (NPP and NDC) to the general election in the Fourth Republic.
Though a secular state, more than 70 per cent of Ghana’s population is Christian.
The country, however, enjoys inter-faith harmony, with the clergy, including the National Chief Imam, working together to advance many causes in peace building and national socio-economic development.