GJA suspends NDC/NPP press conferences at press centre

Accra, Dec. 8, GNA - The Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) on Monday asked the two leading political parties to stop holding press conferences and counter-reactions of elections results at the Press Centre.

Mr Bright Blewu, General Secretary of the GJA, also told journalists who were waiting for certified results of the 2008 elections from the Electoral Commission at the Press Centre to be circumspect with the way they report political parties' sensational statements prior to the final results. He said the GJA had explained to the parties' leaders that the platform at the centre was specifically provided for journalists to collate and report on certified results.

"We don't want the centre to be turned into a place where political party leaders can walk in to make sensational claims, which has the potential of marring the electoral process," he said. Early at dawn on Monday, the NDC issued statement saying that they "knew" they had won and that the NPP should not do anything to "hijack" the process.

Later in the day at about 15.30 hours the NPP's Peter Mac Manu, National Chairman, Nana Ohene Ntow, General Secretary and Mrs. Oboshie Sai-Coffie, Minister of Tourism and Diasporan Relations came to the press centre to react. Mr. Mac Manu noted that based on the 128 certified results declared at the time, the NPP was confident of its chances of victory, but thought it was too early to call.

"The way the NDC called the election as early as the dawn of Monday can cause agitation if the actual results from the EC do not go in their favour, but we are trying to calm nerves and saying that let's hold on until the final results are in," he said. He said when the final results are declared, any party that disputed it could resort to the law courts for redress. Meanwhile more than 10 police striking force officers trouped to the press centre and took positions in combatant style. But Mr. Blewu explained to journalists that he called for a minimal security presence at the press centre to check vehicles that went in and out of the centre and not for the striking force.