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The Governor of the Niger State of Nigeria, Dr Mua�zu Babangida Aliyu, has commended Christian and Muslim Ghanaians for co-existing peacefully in the country. He said a striking feature on his visits to Ghana, was how there seemed to be no differences among Christians and Muslims in communities, with the commemoration of religious days of the respective religions made national holidays. Dr Babangida Aliyu said this when he shared some thoughts on ;�Peaceful Elections and Democratic Stability in Nigeria,� at the launch of an Election Dispute Management Guide for West Africa, published by the West Africa Network for Peace building (WANEP). He said the observance of the religious days for the respective religions as national days had resulted in the cohesion of the country. Dr Babangida said all countries in the sub-region must be interested in elections in Nigeria as, any destabilising events in that country as a result of disputed elections could pose challenges for other countries in dealing with the massive influx of Nigerians seeking refuge. He said Nigeria had been having direct or indirect encounters with the ballot box since 1922, and its pre-eminent position in Africa in many respects made it imperative to closely examine the dynamics of its elections and the implication for the stability and development of democracy in Africa. He said while the integrity of elections was key to social and economic development, peaceful elections also determined the legitimacy of leaders who won. In a narration of elections in the colonial, post colonial and independence times, Dr Babangida noted that while in the past leaders were sacrificial in their efforts at governing, in contemporary times, political leaders came on the pretext of �correcting regimes,� but ended up �correcting themselves.� He said a feature of elections organised by military regimes in the process of handing over the reins of government was that election processes were more peaceful than when conducted under civilian governments for a possible change for another civilian government. He said that was perhaps because the electorate in wanting to see the back of the military regime would tolerate any provocation just for change. Dr Babangida said amidst all the processes, it was important for all people in the host country to endeavour to uphold their constitutions. �No matter how tough or difficult a situation is, we must all respect and value the principles of our constitution,� he told participants. He said if the constitution kept changing to suit the immediacy of the challenge, the complications that would arise would be more challenging. He also proposed a healthy balance between political parties as a pre-requisite for peaceful elections. He said his party, the People�s Democratic Party (PDP) had in its constitution an adherence to a balance in the appointment of leaders of the party, while the national Constitution of Nigeria stipulated a need for a federal character in electing people, appointments and elections. Launching the book, the Chairman of the National Peace Council (NPC), Rev. Prof. Emmanuel Frimpong Asante, said the climate in Ghana seemed to be characterised by political tension if one was to go by the invectives on the airwaves. He said despite the relative peace being enjoyed in the country, the aftermath of bye elections in places such as Atiwa called for vigilance not complacency. He said the post election violence in places such as Kenya could also be experienced in Ghana if confidence was not built between the electoral management body and other stakeholders. A lead consultant for the Election Dispute Management Practice Guide, Prof. Isaac Olawale Albert, said the publication presented possible scenarios leading to dispute and how any stakeholder, by using practical steps provided, could resolve them before they got out of hand.