Former Northern Regional Minister, Salifu Saeed has urged the media to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity during the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) Northern Regional elections.
According to Mr Saeed, the media has a critical role to play in promoting transparency, accountability and credibility throughout the electoral process.
Speaking to the media ahead of the elections at the Aliu Mahama Sports Stadium on Saturday, August 15, he encouraged journalists covering the exercise to pay close attention to developments at the voting centre and promptly alert the election committee or security personnel to any suspicious activity.
“Look shine your eyes and then see everything and sometimes you can draw our attention if you see suspicious movement draw our attention.”
Mr Saeed, who is a member of the Northern Regional Election Committee and is responsible for security operations, said journalists should not only report on the outcome of the elections but also help safeguard the integrity of the process by drawing attention to potential irregularities.
He said the presence of the media at the polling centre could serve as an additional layer of scrutiny to discourage conduct that could undermine the credibility of the elections.
Mr Saeed assured voters, candidates, delegates and other stakeholders that adequate security measures had been put in place to maintain peace and order throughout the exercise.
“The security is well well well well prepared.”
He warned that the security team would not tolerate any behaviour capable of disrupting the elections or threatening the peace at the venue.
“We’re not going to countenance any misbehavior or something that has the potential to derail the peace here.”
The NPP Northern Regional elections are being held at the Aliu Mahama Sports Stadium, where delegates are voting to elect regional executives to steer the affairs of the party in the region.
Mr Saeed expressed confidence that with the cooperation of all stakeholders, the Northern Region could deliver a smooth and credible election and set a positive example for the other regions.
