Ghana’s President John Mahama has called on all to eschew violence ahead of the 2016 elections because it is God who ordains a leader.

“Our politics should never be about life and death because God in his own wisdom will choose a leader for us,” Mahama said at the Grace Pentecostal branch of the Assemblies of God Church at Effiakuma in Takoradi in the Western region.

He added: “Even if men of God need prayers then those of us in authority in the secular world even need more prayers because the Bible even says we should pray for those in authority so that he will give them divine guidance to be able to do what is right in the sight of God.

“Ghana is the only country that has not suffered civil war. Our nation is favoured, and our nation is great.”

On the economy, Mahama noted: “Ghana was recognised in the whole community and celebrated as the first Sub-Saharan African country to have independence but by the 1970s and 1980s; the country fell to the bottom of the pit…Our economy was struggling, there was no light, … to make matters worse there was no food…”

However, he opined that because of “God’s favour” the West African nation has been able to surmount its challenges.

“God's favour was on the country and we were able to overcome all that. Ghana is rising again; today we have the fastest growing middle class in Africa. Nobody goes to the next door to beg for iced water. In every house, everyone has a TV in his room”.