Traditional and Religious Leaders in the Sissala East District of the Upper West Region have called on all politicians to play by the rules and allow the Independent Governance Institutions (IGIs) to execute their mandate without undue interference.

These institutions are the Electoral Commission (EC), the Security Services and the Judiciary.

They have also condemned in no uncertain terms, all manner of conduct that will bring to question the credibility of the 2012 Presidential and Parliamentary elections.

The Traditional and Religious Leaders made the call in a communiqué issued at the end of a dialogue session, organised by Action for Sustainable Development (ASUDEV), in partnership with STAR Ghana at Tumu, in the Sissala East District.

The communiqué also appealed to the IGIs to be steadfast, unbiased, and act without fear or favour in order to gain public confidence in their activities regarding the elections.

The communiqué reminded Journalists to abide by their journalistic standards and exercise great circumspection guided by the national interest in their programming and reportage.

It stated that the 2012 general elections marked an important milestone in the democratic dispensation of their beloved country and appealed to politicians to refrain from the use of intemperate language that could give rise to tensions with the tendency of igniting violence.

The communiqué also pledged the commitment of the Traditional and Religious Leaders to admonish their teaming youth to uphold a higher sense of patriotism and unified sense of nationhood beyond any other self or group interest.

It further pledged their preparedness to remain non-partisan and neutral in playing their roles as peace makers before, during and after the 2012 general elections.

Earlier in a welcome address, the Programme Coordinator of ASUDEV, Mr. Malik Ali Gbene, said the forum formed part of interventions being implemented in the Sissala West, Sissala East and Wa East by ASUDEV in partnership with STAR Ghana on the project dubbed “2012 Election for Peace and Development”.

He said the project seeks to employ multi-dimensional strategies to mobilize citizens and enhance their capacity to demand accountability, free, fair and peaceful general elections in target constituencies and Ghana at large.**