Dr Clement Apaak, Convener, Forum for Governance and Justice, said the country needed to maintain peace, unity and stability during and after the December polls to ensure the achievement of her democratic and development aspirations.

“As far as I can tell, without peace, unity and stability, all our dreams, our wishes, our desires, our hopes, our aspirations both personal and as enshrined in our Constitution, even loudly espoused by political parties and their candidates, will never see the light of day,” he said.

He said democracy could not be practiced in an atmosphere of violence and instability and the best way to cherish it was to maintain peace, unity and stability enshrined in our Constitution.

Dr Apaak was a addressing a press conference in Tamale on Tuesday as part of activities of the Forum for Governance and Justice (FGJ) to sensitized the public on the need for peace in the country which would influence the growth of our democratic culture, social transformation and the delivery of justice.

He said the forum harnessed the expertise and experience of its members to think through matters that concerned governance, human rights and respect for the rule of law.

He said peace had always been among humanity's highest values and the most supreme for some, adding that the most popular view of peace is as an absence of dissension, violence and war.

Dr Apaak said: “Without peace, unity and stability, we cannot uphold our constitution, the basis for our democracy, including the right to vote…our natural and inalienable right to establish a framework of government, which shall secure for ourselves and posterity the blessings of liberty, equality of opportunity and prosperity”.

He appealed to all political parties to be national in character and free to participate in shaping the political will of the people, disseminate information on political ideas, social and economic programmes of a national character.

Mr Amadu Issahaku, Northern Regional Population Officer, said peace was cardinal for the coming elections and advised politicians who incited the youth to cause violence to stop that practice.