Former Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan leads West African Elders Forum to observe Ghana’s 2024 elections

A delegation of the West African Elders Forum (WAEF) observation mission led by former Nigerian president, Goodluck Ebele Jonathan is in Ghana to observe the 2024 elections.

They arrived inAccra ahead of the December 7, 2027, elections on Wednesday.

In an arrival statement, President Goodluck Jonathan urged Ghanaians to be patriotic and work for a peaceful, free and transparent elections. 

Other members of the delegation include Mr. Kadre Ouedraogo, former Burkinabe Prime Minister and President of the ECOWAS and Ms Ann Iyonu, Executive Director of the Goodluck Jonathan Foundation and Ikechukwu Eze, special adviser to Dr. Jonathan and head of media and communications.

In the statement issued by Wealth Ominabo, WAEF’s communications officer, the former President also charged the Electoral Commission of Ghana and the security agencies to keep to their mandate of independence and neutrality to ensure a credible polling process.

The Mission leader commended the people of Ghana for their enduring commitment to democratic values, adding that Ghana’s history of peaceful political transitions serves as a beacon for democratic governance across Africa

“The upcoming elections present another opportunity for Ghanaians to reinforce their dedication to democracy, stability, and development”, he stated.

He said further: “WAEF urges the Electoral Commission of Ghana to uphold its mandate of conducting free and fair elections and ensuring the transparency and credibility of the 2024 elections as a way of building trust among the electorate and stakeholders. 

“We encourage the security agencies to sustain their professional conduct, maintain their neutrality and a peaceful electoral environment by ensuring impartial deployment to safeguard voting materials, polling centres, and citizens across the country.

“As we approach the end of campaign activities, we urge all political parties and their candidates to reaffirm their commitment to peaceful campaigns devoid of hate speech, inflammatory rhetoric, and personal attacks.”

The former President also called on political parties, candidates and all stakeholders to respect the integrity of the electoral process and pledge to resolve disputes through lawful and constitutional channels. 

Dr. Jonathan further urged the youth and party supporters to remain law-abiding during and after the elections, avoiding acts of intimidation or violence.

Describing Ghana as a model of democracy, Dr. Jonathan also urged Ghanaians to seek to safeguard this Ghana’s democratic legacy by rejecting violence, intimidation, or actions that could undermine the integrity of the electoral process. 

“By working together, Ghanaians can once again assert the country’s position as a model of democracy built on a tradition of peaceful, free, fair and transparent elections.”

It would be recalled that Jonathan had two months ago led WAEF to Accra to conduct its pre-election assessment mission ahead of Ghana's the December 7, 2024 elections.

During the October mission, the delegation held consultations with relevant stakeholders including Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, presidential candidate of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) who is also the incumbent Vice President, Mr. John Mahama, former President and flagbearer of the main opposition party National Democratic Congress (NDC), the leadership of the Electoral Commission of Ghana, the Inspector General of Police, Electoral Security Task Force and the National Peace Council (NPC), as well as civil society groups.