President Akufo-Addo has sent a strong note of caution to elements in the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) and others who may want to foment trouble before, during and after the 2024 elections to exercise restraint.
It follows a supposed clean-up exercise organised by the NDC at the office of former President Mahama last week.
The NDC youth were seen brandishing machetes and other dangerous weapons to distract a pro-New Patriotic Party (NPP) group from holding a demonstration at the office of the former President.
Speaking at the Valedictory Service for outgoing Moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana Rt. Rev. Prof. Joseph Obiri Yeboah Mante yesterday, President Akufo-Addo said “it is my earnest hope that the machetes and weapons brandished last week at the residence of the NDC presidential candidate, the former President John Dramani Mahama are not signs of things to come up in the run-up to the 2024 elections.”
Then came an assurance, “if it is, I can assure you that they will find no success with them,” whilst noting with emphasis, “I want to state for the record that under my watch, no person or group of persons, no matter their political correlation will distabilise our country or destroy the peace that all of us are enjoying. It will not happen.”
He, however, asked all believers to continue to pray for Ghana’s peace and unity “so we can continue to move forward as a united nation; as a beacon of stability and freedom in Africa.”
“I need the support of every Ghanaian, together with the press and the church to help me and my government to carry out our mandate successfully,” he prayed.
He asked for the church and Ghanaians to also remember him in prayers, for the Lord to give him wisdom, strength, integrity, courage and compassion to enable him execute his duties as a good leader since it is his conviction that “with him (God) all things are possible.”
On the economy, he said, “I want to assure you that the Akufo-Addo government is working hard to return the economy to the high rates of growth as characterised the management of the economy in the years preceding the COVID-19 outbreak in 2020, which made our economy one of the fastest growing in the world at the time.”
He stressed the belief that “we can only do so if we forge ahead in unity and faith and have the belief that by the grace of the Almighty God, the fortunes of Ghana under the presidency of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo will be restored.”
Whilst he admitted that times have been hard, he indicated “It is clear that our economy is rebounding back and we are returning the economy back to growth and development.”
The President disclosed that the government had to take some very difficult and hard decisions to improve the economy, insisting “the policies and programmes we are implementing are meant to address the challenges, and it is evident that they are doing so.
“Nevertheless, I will continue to need your understanding and active cooperation; we can make it if all of us work at it.”
