The Interior Minister Prosper Bani has challenged the former Moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana to produce a text message which the [Moderator] claims he was offered a post by a politician.

Prosper Bani has categorically denied that his Ministry was keen to offer Rev. Professor Emmanuel Martey the chairmanship of the National Peace Council.

The outspoken Christian leader revealed last week that although the Christian Council nominated him to be on the Council, he had a funny feeling about taking the position.

“So I told God about it. I don’t do anything without first consulting my friend the Holy Spirit. Few days to the inauguration of the Peace Council, I had a missed call; I didn’t know the person so I didn’t call back. So the person sent a text message, it was the Deputy Minister of Interior, [James] Agalga. So immediately something said call so I called back. He was then at the house so he came out,” Rev Martey added.

But his claim has been challenged by government.

In a statement signed by the Interior minister, Prosper Bani said the former Moderator deceived the public in making the “wild” claims.

He told Joy FM’s Top Story that his Deputy, James Agalga, has told him, he did not communicate with the outspoken Christian leader on the subject of the Peace Council.

"If Rev. Prof. Emmanuel Martey claims he received a text message from James Agalga then “it is up to him to prove by making public the text message,” he said.

Prosper Bani

Explaining the turn of events, Prosper Bani noted that the Interior Ministry does not take decisions on who becomes a member of the Peace Council or who chairs it.

He said in the case of Rev. Martey, the Christian Council nominated him in April 2016. But the Interior Ministry was later informed in June that the former Moderator has been replaced with Rev. Dr. Adu Gyamfi.

The Interior Minister said it is an "absolute inaccurate statement" for Rev. Martey to make this claim that his Ministry offered the post when it is not empowered to even nominate a member of the Council.

Rev. Martey has been in the news after revealing that some politicians are trying to get him to tone down on his critical political commentary by offering him gifts.

He has alleged that he rejected a $100,000 gift from a politician, a claimed that triggered a fierce reaction from government communicators who have challenged him to name the politician.

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