Reverend Stephen Wengam, General Superintendent of Assemblies of God Ghana, asserted that congregational prayers diverted President John Mahama from the ill-fated helicopter journey that killed eight officials on August 6.
During a sermon following the crash, Wengam described the president’s last-minute schedule change as divinely orchestrated, crediting persistent intercession by his church.
Wengam revealed he had mobilized the church’s prayer team after learning Mahama would skip a scheduled event to visit Côte d’Ivoire. “I said, I don’t accept it. Go and mobilize the prayer team to reverse it,” he recounted.
The cleric cited a “battle on the phone” with First Lady Lordina Mahama, who reportedly insisted: “No, we are coming for this program… No way.” The itinerary was subsequently adjusted, moving Mahama’s trip to August 7.
“If this did not happen, God forbid…” Wengam told congregants, framing the outcome as spiritual intervention. His social media posts thanked the church for “saving our President’s life,” urging reflection over celebration. The flight Mahama missed carried officials including Defence Minister Dr. Edward Omane Boamah and Environment Minister Dr. Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed, who perished during an anti-illegal mining operation.
While Wengam presented the sequence as faith-affirming, the claim remains a personal interpretation of events preceding the national tragedy.
