Election 2024: Stop your members from prophesying winners – Akufo-Addo tells clergy

President Nana Nana Akufo-Addo has called for calm and caution to both the clergy and political parties, urging them to maintain a peaceful and respectful atmosphere.

Represented by Minister of Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Stephen Asamoah Boateng, at the ‘Agent of Peace’ campaign organised by the Ghana Pentecostal and Charismatic Council (GPCC) on Sunday, 3 November 2024, President Akufo-Addo appealed to religious leaders to limit election predictions and focus on promoting national harmony.

“I call on all our revered members of the clergy also to put a check on those of their members who are going around and prophesying winners of an election which is yet to be held,” he stated, emphasising the need for unity as Ghanaians prepare to cast their votes.

Reflecting on the nation’s democratic progress, the president highlighted the importance of responsible rhetoric, calling on political candidates to avoid premature claims of victory that could mislead or inflame the public.

“Indeed, democracy requires more than elections, but the country cannot be democratic without holding genuine elections to elect its leaders.

“Elections are the basis for democratic legitimacy and a mechanism to peacefully resolve the transfer of political power,” he stated.

President Akufo-Addo further encouraged respectful political discourse, warning that divisive and aggressive language risks undermining Ghana’s stable democratic reputation.

“We in Ghana have grown and must learn the lessons of having peaceful elections,” he noted.

He added: “We must avoid the use of provocative and abusive language in our campaigning. Let us respect the electorate and not assume that one political party has already won the election when a single ballot is yet to be cast.”