Bryan Acheampong, Ghana’s Minister for Agriculture, has urged the Seventh-day Adventist Church (SDA) to permit its members to cast their votes alongside security personnel.
He highlighted that with over 800,000 members, the SDA community faces disenfranchisement due to their religious observance of not working on Saturdays.
Acheampong’s appeal emphasizes that faith should not prevent citizens from participating in the electoral process.
In a tweet, he called on the Electoral Commission to facilitate voting arrangements for SDA members.
“Kindly join me in calling on the EC to allow the Seventh Day Adventist Church (SDA) to vote with the security agencies. The SDA has an 800,000+ strong Ghanaian membership that is disenfranchised because, by their faith, they do not work on Saturdays and, therefore, do not vote.”
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo echoed this sentiment during a ceremony at Valley View University where he was awarded an honorary Doctorate.
He encouraged SDA members to reconsider their stance on voting during elections held on Saturdays.
President Akufo-Addo underscored the importance of civic engagement and suggested finding solutions that allow SDA members to vote while adhering to their Sabbath observance.
He drew upon the Biblical principle of balancing civic and spiritual duties to stress the need for inclusive participation in Ghana’s democratic process.
See post below:
