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The Asante Presbytery of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana (PCG) has prioritized peace ahead of the December 7 general elections by organizing a Peace Walk through the principal streets of Kumasi.
Held on Saturday, November 30, 2024, the walk brought together members from various districts in the Presbytery, urging all stakeholders to maintain peace before, during, and after the elections.
This Peace Walk, a key initiative of the Department of Ecumenical and Social Relations (ESR), underscores the Church’s commitment to fostering harmony in the nation’s democratic processes.
Rev. Joseph Agyei Boakye, Director of ESR, highlighted the importance of the event, noting, “The ESR is a directorate that is in charge of the PCG relationship with other bodies such as traditional leaders, Muslims, and other bodies. So in times like this, we try to engage them as one people to strive for a common purpose which is peace in this election.”
With just a week until the elections, he emphasized that voting is about expressing an opinion, not inciting violence.
“We call on Ghanaians to ensure peace. It’s not about war or violence but about choosing your preferred candidate. Let’s strive for peace this December 7.”
Rev. Samuel Adu Gyamfi, Clerk of the Asante Presbytery, expressed optimism about the nation’s ability to maintain its track record of peaceful elections.
“Our Lord Jesus Christ is Peace and those of us who follow him must strive for peace. Some of us we voted in 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004, 20008, 2012, 2016 and 2020. Thankfully, the Lord has seen us through in all these elections and he will see us through again.”
He further called on political parties to ensure vigilance at polling stations and to report irregularities to electoral officers rather than resorting to violence as elections are won at polling stations.
The walk also carried a message of unity among Ghanaians, regardless of ethnic background, emphasizing the importance of accepting election outcomes and supporting the elected leader.
“We have 16 regions in Ghana and we are all one people, whether a Northerner, Ewe, Asante, Fante, Ga, Bono, Sefwi and what have you, we are all Ghanaians (John 12:32). With this Peace Walk, we want to tell our candidates that in every election, there ia only one winner who must ocupy the seat, so whoever wins become our president and we must support him,” Rev. Adu Gyamfi affirmed.
The Peace Walk follows a Peace Symposium held by the Church on September 13, at the Peyer Memorial Congregation at Bantama, where major stakeholders discussed the importance of a violence-free election.
