The Ghana Muslim Forum for Peace and Unity has pushed back strongly against Rev Isaac Owusu Bempah’s recent comments about Dr Mahamudu Bawumia’s presidential ambitions, saying no individual has the power to determine who will become Ghana’s next President.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, September 9, and signed by its Executive Secretary, Dr Zakari Abdul Rahman, the Forum said the Holy Qur’an and the Bible both make clear that political authority ultimately rests with God.
The response followed comments by Rev Owusu Bempah during a church service on Sunday, September 6, in which he claimed that Dr Bawumia could not become President without his approval and threatened to spiritually end the former Vice President’s political career.
The preacher had also previously stated on August 9 that he would curse anyone who votes for the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and insisted that Bawumia would never become President while he remained alive.
The Muslim Forum said it had chosen to respond with scripture rather than insults, arguing that Owusu Bempah’s threats had no spiritual basis.
“Both the Qur’an and the Bible prove that Rev Owusu Bempah’s threat is hollow,” the statement said.
The group cited Qur’an 3:26, which states that God gives sovereignty to whom He wills and takes it away from whom He wills.
It also referenced Psalm 75:6-7 and Daniel 2:21 from the Bible, passages which speak about God bringing leaders down and raising others to positions of authority.
According to the Forum, the passages from both faith traditions convey the same message, that sovereignty belongs to God and not to any individual.
“If God has destined that Dr Bawumia will be President, Rev Owusu Bempah cannot stop it. If God has destined that he will not be President, Rev Owusu Bempah cannot make it happen either. His threat is therefore hollow,” the group stated.
The Forum further described Owusu Bempah’s attempt to portray himself as having control over Ghana’s presidency as blasphemous, arguing that such authority belongs only to God.
It also accused the preacher of targeting Bawumia because of his Muslim faith and his ambition to lead Ghana.
The group pointed to Bawumia’s victory in the NPP’s presidential primary, where he was elected as the party’s flagbearer by delegates who were predominantly Christian.
It also noted that Bawumia secured 42% of the national vote in the 2024 presidential election, arguing that his support extended significantly beyond the Muslim community.
“This proves that the dangerous anti-Muslim rhetoric he is pursuing is not supported by the majority of respected and enlightened pastors. It is backed only by a few divisive extremists who disguise their personal bitterness as fighting for the Church,” the Forum said.
The Muslim Forum urged Bawumia to remain calm and continue to place his trust in God, whom it described as the Disposer of all affairs.
It also called on Ghanaians, regardless of their religious backgrounds, to reject attempts to inject religious bigotry into the country’s political discourse.
“We urge all well-meaning Ghanaians, Christians and Muslims, to reject this attempt to introduce religious bigotry into our politics. Ghana’s peace is built on mutual respect, and no one man’s hate should be allowed to destroy it,” the statement concluded.
