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Bishops in Ghana Join Call to Shun Religious-Based Incitement ahead of Polls

Members of the National Peace Council (NPC) in Ghana. Credit: National Peace Council (NPC)

Members of the National Peace Council (NPC) in Ghana, among them Catholic Bishops, have condemned social media publications that they say seek to divide Ghanaians along religious lines ahead of the country’s December 2024 elections.

The NPC members urged the people of God in the West African nation to expose those behind the publications which they said are dangerous for a country that is heading into an electioneering period.

 “The NPC…has observed with great concern some insinuations and publications on electronic and social media seeking to inflame religious passion into the 2024 General Elections,” they said in a statement that was shared with ACI Africa on Thursday, November 16.

They added, “The NPC and our partners wish to remind all Ghanaians of the admirable manner in which we have lived together in peace, despite our Religious, Political, and Ethnic diversity.”

The entity is comprised of the Christian Council of Ghana, the Office of the National Chief Imam, and the Ghana Catholic Bishops Conference (GCBC).

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The officials noted that the Ghanaian constitution recognizes diversity and appealed to the people of God in the country to “continue to coexist and tolerate” the diversity, allowing everyone to practice their religion.

The constitution, they said, further provides for and protects the rights of all Ghanaians to freely form or join political parties and to participate in political activities subject to the qualifications and laws as are necessary for a free and democratic society and consistent with the Constitution,” they say.

The NPC members warned that persistent inciting publications could jeopardize the country’s long-standing unity that they said has always embraced diversity.

“The NPC respectfully requests all individuals and groups engaging in such insinuations and publications to refrain from such destructive mission and should immediately desist from such actions as they tend to destroy our long cherished pluralistic friendly society,” they said, and added “The NPC and our partners further urge all Ghanaians to expose such characters who have embarked on this slippery mission.”

Top presidential contesters of Ghana’s 2024 presidential elections are the current Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the country's ex-president John Dramani Mahama of the opposition’s National Democratic Congress (NDC). The two candidates are reportedly profiled based on their religious affiliations.

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The Christian Council of Ghana (CCG) has cautioned the electorate against perceiving the two flag bearers on religious grounds, saying that the two do not represent religious identities.

“They did not win their flagbearership based on their religious ideologies; they won based on their personalities and the message they carry,” CCG said in a Thursday, November 9 report.

Silas Mwale Isenjia is a Kenyan journalist with a great zeal and interest for Catholic Church related communication. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Linguistics, Media and Communication from Moi University in Kenya. Silas has vast experience in the Media production industry. He currently works as a Journalist for ACI Africa.