POLITICIANS MUST PROMOTE PEACE (MIRROR, Saturday September 6, 2008 PAGE 42)

By Benjamin Xornam Glover,
Bolgatanga

Pastor Mike Ayikade of the Fountain Gate Chapel in Bolgatanga has called on all political parties seeking mandate of Ghanaians in the forthcoming presidential and parliamentary elections to remain committed to the peace and security of the country.
He also reminded politicians of the status of Ghana as a peaceful nation and, therefore, enjoined them to maintain that status quo in order not to compromise the peace and stability of the country.
Pastor Ayikade gave the admonition when the vice-presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, joined the congregation in worship at Bolgatanga as part of his tour of the Upper East Region.
Dr Bawumia was accompanied by his wife, Samira; the Minister of Water Resources, Works and Housing, Mr Boniface Abubakar Saddique; the Upper East Regional Minister, Mr Alhassan Samari, and his deputy, Mrs Agnes Chigabatia.
Others included Dr Kofi Konadu Apraku, the Campaign Director, and Alhaji Karim Grunsah, a Football Administrator and leading member of the NPP.
According to Pastor Ayikade, politicians must conduct their political activities in a manner that would not degenerate into violence and ensure that love permeated their every action.
“The people of Ghana in general and the Upper East Region in particular are resolved to pursue peace before, during and after the December elections and those who seek our mandate to rule must also pursue peace and purge this country of acts that will lead to conflict,” he stressed.
Responding, Dr Bawumia described his selection as a divine intervention, stressing that within 48 hours he had been elevated from being a banker to a politician with the potential of becoming the Vice-President of Ghana, which is something, he had never expected.
He urged the congregation to pray for him and phrased his statement with a quote from the scriptures that said “unless the Lord builds a house, those who build labour in vain”.
Dr Bawumia said his selection was a call to service towards the development of the nation and, therefore, urged all to join him pray to God for guidance and wisdom.
Earlier, the vice-presidential candidate and his entourage had joined members of the Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Bolgatanga to celebrate mass. He also paid courtesy calls on the Regional Chief Imam in his mosque and addressed members of the Ahlu Sunna Muslim sect, also in Bolgatanga to solicit their support.
At a meeting with members of the Upper East Regional House of Chiefs, Dr Bawumia said victory for Nana Akufo-Addo would fulfil the age-long dream of some northern patriots towards bridging the gap between the north and the south.
He said prior to Ghana’s independence, some elders of northern Ghana such as Mr C.K. Tedam, Adam Amandi, Alhaji Mumuni Bawumiah, (his late father), S.D. Dombo, Dr Hilla Limann, Jato Kaleo, among others, have dreamt of a marshal plan that would bridge the development gap between the north and the south of the country.
According to him, unfortunately, that dream was not achieved and it was this dream that the NPP candidate, Nana Akufo-Addo, had resurrected through the Northern Development Authority.
He pledged the commitment of the NPP government to fast track the rapid development of the north to fulfil the age-old dream of their fore bears through improved methods of agriculture, education and access to finance.
The Paramount Chief of Kayoro, Oscar Batabi Tiamo, on behalf of 17 paramount chiefs and 52 divisional chiefs of the house, urged politicians to see themselves as components of development.
Pe Tiamo, while reminding politicians of Ghana’s enviable record as a nation of peace, called on them to eschew acts that could destabilise the country. He also pledged the support of the house to whoever would emerge winner in the December elections.