Concerned by the back- and-forth between factions sympathetic to the dreaded Nogokpo traditional authorities and Archbishop Agyinasare of Perez Dome, the National Peace Council is urging calm.
The Peace Council, which says it has initiated a process to engage the parties for amicable redress of their issue, is therefore calling on the media and everyone making staments on the matter to exercise restraint.
“The Council calls on all those who have been affected in any way by the stalemate to exercise
restraint and circumspection in their comments and pronouncements on the matter. The Council further urges the media and all those who make statements on the matter to exercise maximum restraint in their narratives to protect the peace, stability, and integrity of our beloved country.
In a statement on Tuesday, June 6, 2023, the Chairman of the Peace Council, Rev. Dr. Ernest Adu-Gyamfi, said “The National Peace Council has noted with concern the current impasse between Archbishop Charles Agyinasare, the founder of Perez Chapel International and Nogokpo Traditional Authorities.”
It added, “Recognizing the fact that the impasse if not quickly addressed may have consequences on peaceful coexistence and religious tolerance in the country, the National Peace Council, in pursuit of its mandate to facilitate conflict prevention, appeals to the Nogokpo Traditional Authorities and Perez Chapel International to remain calm and not give in to provocations as efforts are being undertaken to address the situation.”
The Peace Council statement come against the backdrop of seeming tension between supporters of the two over remarks made by the Archbishop during a sermon where he referred to Nogokpo as the “demonic headquarters” of the Volta Region.
The Archbishop’s comment drew criticism from the indigenes of Nogokpo and the wider Volta Region.
The revered Archbishop Agyinasare rendered an apology for his comments, but that did not stop the Nogokpo Traditional Council from issuing a two-week ultimatum to the Archbishop to appear before them.
Read below the full statement from the Peace Council:
