The Northern Regional Chairman of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), Mr Alhassan Imoro, on Wednesday called on journalists to avoid controversial reports likely to undermine Thursday's presidential and parliamentary elections.
"We should all observe the GJA guidelines on election coverage in order to contribute to the peaceful elections Ghanaians expect," he told the Ghana News Agency in an interview in Tamale.
Mr. Imoro said media practitioners in the Northern Region have a social responsibility to preserve the peace and stability the people are enjoying after the 1994 bloody ethnic conflict in some parts of the region.
"Undoubtedly, the electioneering campaign has led to political tension in the region and there is, therefore, the need for journalists to help restore normalcy by reporting on all issues dispassionately, accurately and without bias."
Mr. Imoro, who is also the Tamale Municipal Director of the National Commission on Civic Education (NCCE), said his outfit has collaborated with Action Aid Ghana and other non-governmental organisations to create public awareness on the need for incident-free elections.
He said leaders of the various political parties should place the interest of the state above all partisan considerations to ensure peaceful, free and fair polls.
"They should also accept the verdict of voters on December 7 in good faith because only one party can win the elections."
