Bishop Predicts: 2012 will be "Difficult Year"

The year 2012 will be a difficult year not because of the general elections but prophetically it would be characterised by strange happenings including tragedies and disasters.

These tragedies and disasters according to Bishop Benard Ogyiri Asare, General Overseer of the Zion Praise Chapel at Effia, near Takoradi would be caused by natural, human and demonic influences.

Bishop Ogyiri Asare gave the prophesy in a New Year sermon on Sunday.

He however, stated that in the midst of all these problems God would intervene if all Ghanaians would come together as one people of the same nation and pray for His mercy and favour.

On the forthcoming general elections, Bishop Asare appealed to all Presidential, and Parliamentary candidates to conduct their campaigns in a peaceful manner devoid of insults, character assassination and all provocative acts that could ignite violence and confusion that would plunge the country into any unfortunate situation.

He also appealed to the security personnel who would be deployed to the polling stations during the elections to be non-partisan in the discharge of their duties in order to ensure peace. “They should also discharge their duties with the sense of professionalism.”

Bishop Asare also reminded the Electoral Commission that the sustainability of the peace Ghanaians were enjoying would depend on how neutral and transparent it would go about its work.

He noted that although the Electoral Commission had successfully and peacefully organised previous elections, “there is still the need for it to maintain its non-partisan posture to ensure fair, transparent and peaceful elections.”

Bishop Asare asked all Ghanaians to draw lessons from the Ivorian experience and to ensure that at the end of the general elections “we all live in peace and not in pieces.”

At the Christ The King Methodist Church at Anaji Estate, the Reverend Samuel Ernest Ackah-Mensah, Minister-in-charge, asked Christians not to use their churches as political platforms. “We should not invite them to our functions because of the promises and cash donations they would give to the church”, he urged.

Rev. Ackah-Mensah also asked members of the church not to allow themselves to be used by politicians to achieve their selfish ends.