National Cathedral brouhaha: I never said Akufo-Addo won’t make it to Heaven – Ablakwa clarifies

Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has dismissed multiple media reportage that claimed he said President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo would not make it to Heaven.

News portal ‘peacefmonline.com’ reported that the legislator had said the President would not make it to Heaven for prioritizing the building of the National Cathedral over the welfare of poor Ghanaians.

Backing his assertions with Biblical references, the outspoken NDC MP said “Jesus Christ will be much happy if we take care of the poor.”

“Mathew 25:34 stated clearly the urgency to support the poor. Failure to that you won’t make it to heaven,” he stated in an interview with NEAT FM’s morning show, Ghana Montie.

But reacting to the reports, Mr. Ablakwa said he was not in the place to judge who would make it to Heaven or not as the Bible entreated Christians to work on their own salvation.

He maintained that it is blasphemous to be portrayed as the Heaven gatekeeper or the custodian of the Book of Life.

The ranking member on Parliament’s foreign affairs committee also said that the reports were an attempt to malign his personality.

He stressed that such attempts would not provide cover for ‘ungodly’ legal violations that have characterized the construction of the National Cathedral.

“As Christians, the Biblical injunction is not to judge others, and to work out our own salvation; I am not one to ever pontificate on who qualifies to make it to Heaven or Hell.

“It is almost blasphemous for mischievous elements to portray me as the gatekeeper in Heaven or the custodian of the Book of Life for that matter.

“The juvenile attempts to malign the messenger instead of responding to the germane issues which are of enormous public interest cannot provide a cover for the egregious and ungodly legal violations that have been occasioned with impunity under the guise of fulfilling the President’s personal pledge to the Almighty,” Mr. Ablakwa posted on his Facebook page.

The building of the national cathedral has once again dominated headlines after it emerged that the government has released an amount of GH₵25 million for it.

Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has been raising concerns over it amidst the non-payment of allowances due to national service personnel and NABCo trainees.

It will be recalled that President Akufo-Addo in March 2017, proposed the construction of a National Cathedral which he said is in fulfilment of a promise he made to God before winning the 2016 general elections.