The deluge of attacks unleashed on Rt Rev Prof Emmanuel Martey must stop, security analyst Irbard Ibrahim has said.

The immediate past Moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana has come under intense accusation and criticism following his revelation that a political party tried bribing him with $100,000, a V8 and a mansion at Trassacco Valley.

A former Public Relations Officer of the Church, Dr Emmanuel Osei Akyeampong later came out to call Prof Martey a liar, saying the controversial clergyman took the goodies that he claimed he rejected.

Top executives of the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) took Prof Martey to the cleaners following his comments. A Deputy General Secretary of the NDC, Mr Koku Anyidoho, for instance described Prof Martey as a NPP Propagandist and a bribe taker, while the party’s MP for Wassa Amenfi Central, Mr George Kofi Attah, described the clergyman as a corrupt man of God.

Mr Ibrahim, who is also a peace ambassador for the 2016 polls said: “I have monitored with deep sorrow, the unbridled abuse of a renowned clergyman and a leader of a great church that has over the years contributed to Ghana's educational, health and social development.”

“I call on all political parties including the NDC and NPP to exercise restraint,” adding that: “In a critical election year like this one, the clergy will play an important role in calming people down and ensuring the peace and stability of the country and, therefore, antagonising same for any political expediency would only stifle the peaceful crusade we are all embarking on in the lead up to an election that promises to be ferociously contested. It would also serve the nation right if the case was investigated devoid of the partisan emotions pouring out from across the country.”