Mahama calls for government to open up to dialogue
Clergymen explain reason for conferring with Mahama
Ketu South Member of Parliament, Abla Dzifa Gomashie, has asked members of the clergy to leave the former President John Dramani Mahama alone.
Her concern is in relation to a visit earlier this week of a Christian delegation to the residence of the former President.
According to her, it was not understandable that the clergy will "suddenly be interested in what" Mahama thinks.
"Papa Osofo please leave JM alone ooo. I am begging you all, LEAVE HIM ALONE. You cannot suddenly be interested in what he thinks aloo? Tsooooo let us enjoy the change," she posted in a February 16, 2022 Facebook post.
The former Deputy Minister accompanied her post with a two-minute video of the meeting in which the leader of the delegation outlines the reasons for their visit and Mahama's brief remarks.
Why we visited Mahama? - Head of delegation
According to Most Rev. Dr. Paul K. Boafo, the Presiding Bishop of Methodist Church of Ghana, who was leader of a delegation that met Mahama, in outlining the reason for their visit to the former President noted that he (Mahama) was a major stakeholder in the affairs of the nation hence their call on him.
After laying out the purpose of their meeting was among others to find solutions to national challenges especially as played out in the legislature late last year, Rev. Boafo disclosed that they had held meetings with a number of stakeholders before Mahama.
Rev. Boafo explained that after all those meetings: “We have seen that there are other major stakeholders we need to make approaches to and see how best we can find answers to what is happening to us, looking at all the circumstances and the conditions around us.
“It became very necessary during our series of interventions and interactions … it became necessary that we cannot leave His Excellency the Former President behind but to also make a move to see him.
“And see how best we can all have discussions and look at what is happening to us in our country and if there is a way out by which we can all look at it and come to a resolution,” he added.
Reason for their round of consultations:
He also summarized the reason for their intervention as, taking proactive steps to forestall a recurrence of the violent scenes that were witnessed in Parliament during the post-2022 budget debate especially with the matter of the Electronic Transactions tax (E-Levy).
“We have come as heads of churches of the various associations and groupings in Ghana. Our history has it that the church has played a very significant role in our development and the welfare of our people.
“And so, the major stakeholders, when things come of concern, we are all to take it up and find answers and resolutions to it, so that at the end of the day what we preach and what governance is all about can be achieved to the glory of God, he added.
On the back of the chaos in Parliament, he added: “Christian bodies became alarmed and said will not sit but see how best we can together, find a solution to it. So we have made various approaches.”
Mahama (third left) in a group photograph with the visiting delegation