Nation should not be on edge – President Mahama

President John Dramani Mahama has asked Ghanaians not to be on edge but to remain confident of a peaceful and successful general election.

He said the government, he leads, would do everything to ensure that the election was conducted free from violence and intimidation.

He gave the assurance, when he addressed a Muslim youth festival ‘gargaran’, organized by the Zongo Youth Association at the Jubilee Park in Kumasi.

The festival – a public cultural show, is held after the Eid-ul-Fitr celebration and attending this year’s event were tribal chiefs in Zongo and Muslim communities from across the Ashanti Region.

President Mahama encouraged all registered voters to take advantage of the ongoing exhibition of the electoral roll by the Electoral Commission (EC) to check that their names were on the register.

This was important to make sure that they were not disenfranchised.

He underlined the need for political and religious tolerance and urged the youth to accept to live in peace and harmony with everybody.

President Mahama used the occasion to outline measures put in place to make this year’s Hajj, smooth and less stressful for the pilgrims.

Those in the three Northern Regions and Brong-Ahafo would now fly directly from Tamale to Jedda-Mecca. They would no longer have to travel down to Accra.

He appealed to Muslims, who wanted to make the pilgrimage to arrange to pay their air fares early to avoid any inconvenience.He announced plans to build a new mosque in Kumasi after the completion of the national one under construction in Accra.

The Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, in an address read for him, admonished the youth to be law abiding and to show respect to people in leadership and the elderly.
They should also avoid doing anything to undermine the peace and security of the society.

Source: GNA