The Speaker of Ghana’s Parliament, Alban Bagbin, has begun a nationwide prayer initiative alongside church organisations to hold intercessory prayer sessions ahead of the elections set for December.
Bagbin first hinted at the idea last year when he attended the National Development Conference organised by the Church of Pentecost – one of the oldest orthodox churches that have held sway over national issues for years.
“Last year, I had a conversation with a number of men of God and I did propose that there was urgent need for us to have prayer conferences from region to region in all the 16 regions. This is necessary, we need to not just have a change of mind, but a change of heart,” Bagbin said at the conference.
The first edition of his proposal was held on Tuesday, May 21 at End Time Assemblies of God Church at Ho, the Volta Region.
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“Dubbed, Volta Prays, the regional event was honoured by Rev. Ebenezer Djietror, Deputy Clark of Parliament as well as leadership of both sides of the House and brought together members of the Christian faith from across the Region. Prayers were offered for the nation and its leadership, the various arms of Government, the election exercise, and the coming leadership. Deputy Clark, in his remarks at the beginning of the programme, said the coming electoral contest should not be taken for granted and thus it was important to seek the face of the Lord,” the Ghana News Agency reported.
The Speaker of Parliament, a roman catholic by religious faith, has been a conservative at best, especially since Parliament under his leadership passed an anti-LGBTQ bill supported by religious organisations.
Last year for instance, he called for the adoption of a framework to safeguard religious rights and freedoms, and avoid discrimination, although Parliament under his leadership recently passed a law that rights groups say has many negative implications for rights, and freedoms for persons who identify as LGBTQ.
