The Christian Council of Ghana has commended Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for demonstrating respect for the rule of law by accepting the judgement of the Supreme Court and calling President John Mahama to congratulate him.

“This is, indeed, a demonstration of maturity as true statesmen and peace lovers,” it said.

A statement jointly signed by its General Secretary, Rev Dr Kwabena Opuni-Frimpong, and Chairman, Rt Rev Francis Amenu, urged Ghanaians to follow the example of the political leaders by accepting the judgement.

Below is the statement of the Christian Council of Ghana

A PASTORAL LETTER TO THE PEOPLE OF GHANA ON THE NEED TO REMAIN UNITED FOR NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Dear Brethren,

We greet you in the name of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ.

The long awaited Supreme Court verdict on the 2012 Elections has finally been delivered and we are grateful to God for His mercies. We thank the good people of Ghana for their patience and endurance for the past eight months.

The Christian Council of Ghana wishes to commend our lordships for their resilience and energies in the administration of justice as God’s justiciaries.

Moreover, we wish to congratulate the petitioners and all respondents involved in the case for their patience and good work done. We also congratulate Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for demonstrating respect for the rule of law by accepting the verdict and calling His Excellency President John Mahama to congratulate him. This is indeed a demonstration of maturity as true statesmen and peace lovers. We wish to particularly request the respondents to be circumspect in their celebrations to avoid any form of provocation.

We also commend members of the media, security services and religious leaders for their tremendous efforts and commitment to the entire process.

The Council is therefore appealing to all Ghanaians to follow the example of our leaders by accepting the verdict of the judges and see the outcome of the verdict as Victory for Ghana and not any group of people. The eight-month Supreme Court experience has also offered us the opportunity to identify some of the challenges in our democratic system and how we can strengthen our institutions to further advance our democracy.

The Council would also like to take this opportunity to call on all Christians across the country to use Sunday, September 1, 2013 to thank God for His faithfulness to Ghanaians.

Let us be mindful of the fact that we have come a long way as a nation and that we should all resolve not to turn back. As a country, we must put the past behind us and forge ahead together as one people in our democratic journey. We must be one another’s keeper and continue to unite as a people in spite of our political, ethnic and religious inclinations. Let us hold in high esteem our heritage won for us in the past and our current democratic successes that we have chalked, and be ready at all time to defend the good name of this country by being tolerant and co-exist peacefully.

It is now time for us to collectively focus on dealing with the numerous challenges that confront us as a nation. We must begin to work as one people with a common destiny to address challenges such as unemployment, maternal and child mortality, illiteracy, poverty, and other developmental needs.

LET US UNITE FOR DEVELOPMENT AND MAKE GHANA GREAT AND STRONG May the good Lord be our helper in Jesus’ name, Amen.

“Praise the LORD. Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever” (Psalm 106:1)

Signed

The General Secretary

Rev. Dr Kwabena Opuni-Frimpong

The Chairman

Rt. Rev. Francis Amenu