The National Peace Council has stressed the need for dialogue and cooperation among political parties and candidates ahead of the Ayawaso East by-election on March 3.

It has, therefore, urged party representatives and voters to abide by electoral procedures and guidelines to ensure peace before, during and after the polls in the constituency.

Dialogue

The Greater Accra Regional Chairman of the Peace Council, Right Rev. Samuel Kofi Osabutey, made the appeal during an Inter-Party Dialogue Committee (IPDC) meeting held at Nima in Accra.

The session, organised in collaboration with the National Commission on Civic Education (NCCE), brought together political party leaders, Electoral Commission representatives, security agencies, religious and traditional authorities.

Discussions focused on strategies, lessons from past experiences and approaches to making peace pacts more effective.

Consensus

Rt Rev. Osabutey highlighted the role of IPDC in consensus building, tolerance, inclusivity and unity.

"The Ayawaso East Constituency is peaceful, yet it faces varied peace and security challenges, including threats of political vigilantism and electoral violence. We cannot afford to allow the constituency to slip into our nation's statistics of electoral violence,

"Whether it is resolving political disputes, fostering communal harmony or healing post-conflict societies, dialogue remains the most powerful tool we have...

Let us move forward with the spirit of dialogue, cooperation and hope," he said.

The Deputy Regional Director of the Electoral Commission, Victoria Yakubu, advised voters and party faithful to resist coercion to violence and unlawful conduct.

"On election day, collaborate and cooperate with officials. Respect the boundaries they set at the polling station, and if there are challenges, use the right channels to address them," she said.

Unofficial

For her part, the Deputy Regional Director of the NCCE, Gloria Kudo, cautioned against unofficial declaration of results and urged balanced and responsible media reportage.

"We have to guard against the use of provocative language...IPDC members must see themselves as a unifying body that promotes peace and resolves conflict before, during and after the by-election," she noted.

The Peace Council and NCCE had earlier engaged youth groups and community-based organisations in the constituency to deepen awareness of issues that trigger violence, extremism, vigilantism and related offences. - — GNA