Bawku Christians Hold Anniversary Service, Pray for Peaceful Election.

Bawku (U/E), March 23, GNA- A non-denominational church service was held at Bawku last Sunday to round off three days of fasting and prayers to commemorate the 47th anniversary celebrations of independence. It had as its theme, "Live in Harmony With One Another," and sought to appeal to the Christian community of the area to be at peace with each other before, during and after the forthcoming general election. Delivering the sermon, Reverend Sarkodie Addo, Circuit Pastor of the Bawku Methodist Church admonished Christians to live in harmony with all, irrespective of their religious, ethnic and political affiliations. He said, man's desire to love and live in peace promotes development, stressing that this is what everyone should pursue to ensure national stability and the sustenance of Ghana's young democracy. He enjoined his fellow pastors to use the pulpit to educate their congregation to be law-abiding and to discharge their civic responsibilities diligently to make the country a beacon of hope in the sub-region.

In his welcoming address, the Bawku Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Mr. Abdul-Rahman Gumah stressed the need to maintain the peace in the area, saying that, the security agencies would deal ruthlessly with any persons who might decide to hold the people to ransom during the impending elections.

"We will not sit down and allow a few misguided persons to turn the clock of our progress backward," he declared.

He indicated that this year's polls would be a test case to the residents of Bawku, taking into consideration the violent conflict that erupted in the area during the 2000 election.

"The outcome of that violence was nothing but misery and sorrow", the MCE said, adding that, the people should resist any temptation to plunge the area again into chaos and anarchy.

The MCE urged supporters of the various political parties to reciprocate President Kufuor's pledge to extend dignity and honour to all parties by making discipline, tolerance and honesty the watchwords during their electioneering campaigns.

He urged residents of the area to come out and register massively during the ongoing exercise, since a credible voters register is a vital pre-requisite for a fair and incident-free election. Mr Gumah commended the Bawku Evangelism Network for organizing the programme to solicit divine intervention, and urged its members to continue to intercede on the nation's behalf.