The Christ Apostolic Church International has asked every Ghanaian to make a significant contribution towards the achievement of a successful and peaceful general election in November.

Addressing the opening ceremony of the Ministerial and General Council Meeting of the Church in Accra, the Chairman, Apostle Dr Stephen Kwame Ntow Amoani, said there were some pertinent national issues, which could tear the nation apart if they were unattended to.

“These include political intolerance and violent behaviour, pockets of which we have witnessed in recent times in different parts of the country,” he said.

“It behoves every Ghanaian, therefore, to make a commitment to act positively for the good of the nation, while we pray that the elections are organised peacefully and devoid of the acrimony, violence and malpractices, that have characterised many similar elections elsewhere, especially in Africa”, Apostle Amoani said.

Apostle Amoani, thereby, appealed to the Electoral Commission (EC) to exhibit fairness, firmness and transparency, while its officials exhibited neutrality and independence.

He emphasised: “To my compatriots, take note that the success or failure of the elections depends on all of us. The clergy, judiciary, professional bodies, religious bodies, civil society, various interest groups and the electorate, in general, should all play our respective roles effectively and honestly.

“We should also vote for people of integrity and proven abilities and capabilities, and at the end of the process, accept the results and the decisions of the electorate in good faith.”

The 2016 General Council Meeting, which was on the theme, “The Power of God in Nation Building”, was attended by more than 500 delegates made up Reverend Ministers, Pastors, Elders, Deacons and Deaconesses from Ghana, Togo and Cote d’ Ivoire.

The meeting is organised annually to deliberate the activities of the Church in the past year, especially on what should be done to ensure Church Growth and Development, and Nation Building as a whole.

“The Government should also do well to provide adequate resources “timeously” and resist the temptation of abusing its incumbency,” Apostle Amoani said.

He appealed to the media to show decorum in their reportage and avoid sensationalism.

“The provision of fair coverage to all the contestants should be pursued by both the electronic and the print media, especially the state-owned media, he said.

“The banning of activities of all political vigilante groups by the Police during the election is, therefore, highly commendable since they could be a recipe for derailing the process.”

On the religious scene, Apostle Amoani denounced the unprecedented parading of charlatans claiming to be “prophets with unequalled spiritual power,” which he said, was gradually denting the image of Christianity.

“We condemn in no uncertain terms of the unethical and immoral behaviour of these so-called prophets and men of God whose discreet interest is to amass wealth at the expense of the unsuspecting citizens of this country,” he stated.

“I call on all Bible-based believers and genuine Christians to express disgust at the turn of events, which have the tendency of not only bringing our faith into disrepute but also ridiculing our hard-won reputation built on moral uprightness and virtues.

“I also urge all Christian leaders to speak against this unacceptable behavioural ineptitude and absurdity. We should go further to bring pressure to bear on the Government to regulate the springing up of mushroom churches and religious organisations, which eventually tarnish the image of our dear nation, Ghana.”

Apostle Amoani said, “It is also my desire that we pool our resources and energies together to perhaps sponsor a proposal for a bill to Parliament to ensure that activities of such vampires in the society are exposed and nibbed in the bud.

“ We believe we can overcome these negative tendencies only when we rediscover our God-given authority and power as salt and light, to impact our generation.”