ODAHIEKWU OGUNDE, YENAGOA
Former President Goodluck Jonathan has solicited the support of other ex-presidents and prime ministers in West Africa to mitigate elections related conflicts and to promote peace in the region.
The Executive Director, Goodluck Jonathan Foundation, Mrs Ann Iyonu made this known at a news conference in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State capital, on Friday.
She said the former leaders’ group christened, ‘West African Elders Forum (WAEF)’, was inaugurated by Jonathan in a virtual meeting on Thursday.
Iyonu said WAEF was an initiative of the GJF aimed at harnessing the goodwill, expertise and experiences of former leaders to promote peaceful elections and to deepen democracy in West Africa.
According to her, the forum comprises three former leaders of Nigeria, Dr Goodluck Jonathan, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia, Ernest Bai Koroma of Sierra Leone and Pedro Pires of Cape Verde.
Other leaders that participated in the event were Aminata Toure of Senegal, Amos Sawyer of Liberia, Kadre Desire Ouedraogo of Burkina Faso, Thomas Yayi Boni of the Benin Republic and Dioncounda Traore of Mali.
Iyonu said the former leaders pledged to join forces with the foundation to deepen democracy and work proactively with other established institutions to ensure credible and acceptable elections to avert electoral violence.
She noted that they agreed to adopt a strategy of being proactive in the use of preventive diplomacy to nip election-related violence in the bud.
She quoted Jonathan as regretting that the inauguration could not hold at a physical venue due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Jonathan stated: “This is an event we would have loved to hold with everyone in one venue, to allow for more robust interactions but safety considerations due to the Covid-19 pandemic have limited us to hosting this meeting virtually.
“The West African Elders Forum is an initiative of the GJF aimed at leveraging the rich resources of eminent personalities in West Africa to promote peace by supporting processes that enhance sustainable democracy and good governance.
“My vision is to harness the experience and wisdom of our region’s eminent leaders to advance the course of political stability and the quest for economic progress and prosperity in our countries.
“It is evident that as former heads of state, we have not relented in our individual efforts in maintaining stability in Africa and expanding the democratic space.
“We have worked towards fostering free and fair elections as well as peaceful transfer of power from one administration to another.
“But with this Forum, we can collectively work as a team to reduce political violence and electoral conflicts in West Africa. This is consistent with the goal of the Goodluck Jonathan Foundation to support democratic transitions and manage political emergencies within the continent.”
He said over the last few decades, the West African region had demonstrated leadership and political will by setting the pace in transforming a regional group of states into a ‘secured community’ on the continent.
He recalled that a few years ago, the region was relatively peaceful and was projected to contribute immensely to the continent’s overall economic growth that saw Africa as one of the global emerging economies.
Jonathan, however, regretted that peace and stability of the region was being eroded because of many reasons including political contestation for power, the spread of terrorism and the negative effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.
He observed that the region had issues of national unrest occasioned by disputed elections and power struggles in some countries like Mali where he mediated to restore peace.
On his part, Obasanjo applauded Jonathan for driving the peace process and noted that the experiences of the elders would go a long way in fostering peace and development in Africa. Sirleaf of Liberia in her contributions commended Jonathan for his untiring efforts as an ‘icon of peace’ and his role in advancing the cause of violence-free polls.