Atta-Mills: God give me wisdom

2009-01-04 21:13

Accra - President-elect John Atta-Mills on Sunday attended a church service alongside many other Ghanaians who resumed their normal activities after a presidential poll deemed exemplary by African standards.

Clergymen in their sermons, some of which were broadcast live on radio, praised their congregations for having shown political maturity. They urged them to rally behind the new government so Ghana could remain an example for other countries on the continent.

Atta-Mills, who won the election in the second round by a very slim margin of just 40 000 votes out of a total of some nine million ballots cast, attended a service in the Achimota neighbourhood of Accra, accompanied by a handful of party officials and security personnel.

"I ask for nothing from God, what I ask for is wisdom to lead the people. The people have voted for change in direction," he went on to tell the hundreds of Christians at Pure Fire church led by Pastor Enoch Aminu.

The pastor reportedly predicted before the elections that Atta-Mills would be the country's next president.

"Ghanaians should be proud that the will of God has materialised in the election of Atta-Mills," said the pastor.

Sources close to Atta-Mills said he has already put together a transitional team to oversee the handover of power from the outgoing administration of President John Kufuor, one of Africa's most respected leaders, who is bowing out after his two terms in office.

No details of the new team were given.

The handover from Kufuor to Atta-Mills will take place January 7.

The scenes of jubilation that had followed Saturday's announcement of Atta-Mills' victory had died away by Sunday with those Ghanaians who were not in church apparently doing their shopping.

Kweku Dompreh, police spokesperson for greater Accra, said no incidents of violence were reported in the city overnight.

- AFP