Bishop Agyin Asare: I am not an NDC member

Some religious leaders have criticized the media for aligning them to political parties in the country.

The Presiding Bishop of Perez Chapel International, Bishop Dr. Charles Agyin Asare for instance, insists he is not a card holding member of any political party and wants the media to stop publishing such stories about him and other pastors.

His comments follow a publication in the Wednesday edition of “The Independent Newspaper” which aligned some pastors to the two main political parties - New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC).

But speaking to Joy News during the launch of the Christ For All Nation Crusade, Bishop Dr. Charles Agyin Asare could not hide his frustration about the growing trend.

"...There is a media outlet that is saying that these pastors are affiliated to these parties. I don't have a party card, I don't belong to any political party. I have heard senior pastors say the same thing that they don't belong to any political party.

"What the media is doing is that the media is dividing us." He said the clergy has always supported every government and regime and maintained that no pastor uses his pulpit to campaign for or against any government. Bishop Dr Agyin Asare, therefore, wondered why anyone would want to associate the clergy with a particular political party.

"We've had the various governments and we've supported them. When the NDC was in power in Rawlings' time we supported them. When Kufuor was president we supported him. We were at every function, anytime he called on the Christian fraternity we were there. Atta Mills came, we were there. John Mahama has come, we will be there," he stated.

But was quick to add that, "the fact that we are there doesn't mean that we are aligned to a political party".