The President of the Ghana Pentecostal and Charismatic Council (GPCC), Apostle Eric Nyamekye, has admonished politicians to refrain from enticing voters with money and instead allow the electorate to decide who leads them.
According to him, the incidence of vote-buying is prevalent and it appears to be normal.
Apostle Nyamekye says monetary inducement clouds the judgment of electorates, which might influence their choice of candidate.
The Church of Pentecost Chairman was speaking after a closed-door meeting with the Electoral Commission on March 13.
“Election breeds tension so we want to plead with our political parties to put Ghana first. They should put their strategies together but their strategies should not overrun the principles that they know that will govern a peaceful election”.
“We are also aware of the monetisation of elections that is going on in our nation. We want to plead with them that they should please respect Ghana and ensure that they do not deceive people by giving them money just to vote for them in the election. Let the people vote because of the issues, policies, and manifestoes, instead of coercing them with money and all that,” he said.
He advised that policemen and other security agencies play their respective roles without compromising.
Apostle Nyamekye said the GPCC suggested to the Electoral Commission to amplify its education on the electoral processes to the citizenry.
He added that the Electoral Commission should always stay ahead of politicians by actively educating Ghanaian voters about the voting date and all the essential information they need to know before casting their votes.
“We think EC should do much more education, and we will also do our best as a council to support their work, because Ghana is our country, we do not have any other country, and an election year like this we all have to on board and make sure that Ghana wins and not any political party” he added.
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