By: Emmanuel Oti Acheampong
Political Science Lecturer at the University of Ghana, Professor Ransford Gyampo, has waded into the request by the Seventh Day Adventist Church to the Electoral Commission of Ghana to change the date for the 2024 elections, saying “it will allow for more requests in the future”.
The request was on the premise that December 7, which marks one of Ghana’s democratic tests, will conflict with the Sabbath, a holy day dedicated to the worship of God.
The request made by the SDA has attracted lots of discussion on political fronts and among analysts.
Speaking on the News File on Joy News, Professor Gyampo said that heeding the request by the SDA is something that he will not advise the Electoral Commission to do.
Prof. Gyampo shared that if the Electoral Commission considers the request to change the date of the election, it will open doors for more requests and favours from different groups in the days to come and in the future.
“…If we allow this tomorrow if election day is on Friday, Muslims will tell us that, well, they go to the mosque on Friday and go, we shouldn’t. If it falls on Sunday, you have a ponderance, majority of Ghanaians being Christians, they may say that it is going to disturb the day selected to worship their God,” he said.
According to him, Ghana is bound by laws, and the laws guarantee the expression of religion. He also noted that the constitution describes the country as a secular state but does not allow that the expression of religion should be exercised in a way that will suppress other religions.
“Ghana is our constitution that guarantees the free expression of our religion. At the same time, the constitution says we are a secular state. And so if it is a secular state, people have the right to exercise their religion, but this must not be exercised in a manner that sort of projects their religious beliefs and faith and ideals over those of the other people who also have different religious beliefs and faith and ideals,” Gyampo said.
