Former President, John Dramani Mahama, has condemned what he describes as the hostility of the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission in Ghana and her other Commissioners to one political party as legendary.
According to him, he is however impressed by the pre-election mission in Nigeria for the West African Elders Forum (WAEF), especially the confidence all the candidates and parties have expressed in the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC). He explained that they all testify that INEC has listened and taken their concerns on board.
“Unfortunately, I can’t say same for my Electoral Commission (EC), which was once among the best election management agencies in the world. The hostility of the Chairperson of the EC and her other Commissioners to one political party is legendary.”
John Dramani Mahama
Mr Mahama lamented the state of the Electoral Commission in Ghana and wished “our own EC can inspire the same level of confidence” in all its stakeholders.
Regrettably, he noted that he is not hopeful this will happen when “we have an EC that has blatantly spurned all efforts by the National Peace Council to host a meeting between the Commission and the two major political parties, the NDC and NPP”.
Mr Mahama is currently heading the West African Elders Forum (WAEF) in Nigeria as the country chooses a new leader today, February 25, 2023.
Interacting with journalists in the federal capital, Abuja, ahead of the elections, Mr Mahama revealed that the former West African leaders are in the country to ensure that there is a peaceful outcome to the polls. He stated that they were invited by the federal government to witness the polls and so far, they are impressed with the commitment of all the 18 candidates to ensure violence-free elections.
“This year’s election is attracting this level of interest because Nigeria’s success and progress in this regard will go a long way in stabilizing democracy, promoting good governance and maintaining peace in the sub-region.”
John Dramani Mahama
Mr Mahama highlighted that the leaders are pleased with the level of preparedness by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the security forces policing the elections and other stakeholders involved in the elections, towards conducting a free and fair exercise.
He disclosed that last December, the Forum deployed a three-man delegation to the country to undertake a pre-election mediation mission.
The delegation was made up of former President of Sierra Leone, Ernest Vai Koroma, former Vice President of the Gambia Fatoumata Tambajang and former President of the ECOWAS Commission and former Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General and Head of the UNOWAS Dr Mohammed Ibn Chambas.
During the mission, the delegation met with President Muhammadu Buhari, INEC Chair Prof Mahmood Yakubu, National Security Adviser, presidential candidates, political parties, civil society leaders, President of the ECOWAS Commission, development partners and other stakeholders.
INEC reassures commitment to free and fair elections
Meanwhile, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has expressed its commitment to ensuring free, fair, and credible elections in Nigeria. INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, made this pledge when he received the Commonwealth Election Observer Mission led by former South African President, Thabo Mbeki, at INEC headquarters in Abuja.
Mr Yakubu acknowledged the significant benefits of conducting credible elections in Nigeria and the African continent, highlighting that the responsibility for achieving this rests on INEC’s shoulders. He further stated that credible elections will not only bring peace and good governance to Nigeria, but also have positive effects on the sub-region.
Additionally, Mr Yakubu assured Nigerians and the international community that INEC would never let them down.
Thabo Mbeki, on his part, expressed confidence that Nigeria would achieve credible and successful elections. He described Nigeria as a significant country with a huge impact on itself and the continent, emphasizing that it was important for the Commonwealth to observe the country’s elections.
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