A National Thanksgiving Service has been organized to show appreciation to God for granting Ghana peace during last year’s General Elections.
President Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and Vice President Mahammudu Bawumia, together with some other leaders of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), were present at the session held at the Accra International Conference Centre on Thursday, December 7.
The service was on the theme “Thanking the Lord who won the battle for Ghana”.
Speaking to the media, the acting General Secretary of the ruling New Patriotic Party, John Boadu, said the NPP’s victory was divine, hence the need to glorify God for making it possible.
Last year’s polls were tension-packed, stress-laden and full of anxiety. Many described them as the most critical elections ever to be held in Ghana.
The then ruling National Democratic Congress tumbled out of power, as the main Opposition, led by Presidential Candidate Akufo-Addo, overpowered the NDC and John Mahama who had eyed a second presidential term. Nana Akufo-Addo garnered as much as 53.85% of the total valid votes cast, while Mr Mahama trailed with 44.4%.
Candidate Akufo-Addo’s victory was described as historic in many ways, as it was the first time a sitting President had been beaten in an election, and also the first time a total vote difference of more than one million had been recorded between the winner and his closest opponent in an election in Ghana.
The 72-year-old Akufo-Addo, a lawyer, had earlier made two unsuccessful attempts at the presidency.
That is how much victory in last year’s elections means to the elephant party. And it was in recognition of such a feat that the NPP set out to organise this National Thanksgiving Service, exactly a year to the day of the election that shot the party from obscurity into authority.
Speaker of Parliament Mike Aaron Oquaye, Chief Justice Sophia Akuffo, as well as many other bigwigs of the party attended the service to thank God and to seek God’s face as they continue serving in their various leadership capacities.
In his remarks, President Akufo-Addo rallied Ghanaians to support his administration to put Ghana on an accelerated development.