Asiedu Nketiah urges SDA Church to push for fixed election day

National Democratic Congress (NDC) National Chairman Johnson Asiedu Nketiah has called on the Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) Church and other religious bodies to champion a constitutional amendment to permanently fix Tuesday as the official day for Ghana’s presidential and parliamentary elections.

Speaking at the centenary celebration of the SDA Church at Sekyedumase in the Ejura-Sekyedumase Municipality, Asiedu Nketiah argued that establishing a fixed weekday for national elections would help end recurring disagreements between political parties, the Electoral Commission (EC) and religious organisations.

The NDC National Chairman noted that such disagreements often arise when an election date coincides with a major day of worship for any of the country’s religious communities.

Recalling recent tensions, Asiedu Nketiah said that ahead of the 2024 general elections, the SDA Church and the Saviour Church of Ghana appealed to him to support their calls for the EC to change the election date from Saturday, December 7, 2024, which fell on the Sabbath observed by Seventh-day Adventists.

He said similar concerns had been raised in previous election cycles by Muslim communities over Fridays and by some Christian denominations over Sundays.

According to him, such clashes create unnecessary tension between citizens’ constitutional right to vote and their freedom of worship.

“I urge the leadership of the SDA Church and other religious bodies to push for this amendment to avoid needless arguments among political parties, the Electoral Commission and affected religious bodies whenever a voting day falls on the day of worship of any of the major religions in Ghana,” Asiedu Nketiah stated.

Under Ghana’s current constitutional framework, the Electoral Commission has the authority to determine the specific date for general elections within the periods prescribed by the Constitution.

Ghana’s presidential and parliamentary elections have, by longstanding practice, been held on December 7 every four years.

Asiedu Nketiah said fixing a predictable weekday, such as Tuesday, in the Constitution would help eliminate religious scheduling conflicts as a recurring source of disagreement during the country’s electoral cycles.

He therefore urged the SDA Church and other religious organisations to support efforts to amend the Constitution to establish a fixed voting day that takes into account the religious practices of citizens while safeguarding their constitutional right to vote.