Before the June 24 general election in Sierra Leone, the West African Elders Forum (WAEF), headed by former president Goodluck Jonathan arrived in the nation’s capital, Freetown.
The former Burkinabe prime minister and former president of the Economic Community of West African States, Kadre Ouedraogo, is also a member of the delegation, according to a statement released on Wednesday by Wealth Dickson Ominabo, the Goodluck Jonathan Foundation’s communications officer (ECOWAS).
According to him, the Forum hopes to promote and support a peaceful democratic transition in Sierra Leone via the visit.
Ominabo said that the delegation would meet with various major players and actors in the nation, including the political party leadership, the candidates, the Election Commission for Sierra Leone (ECSL), security organisations, the diplomatic community, civil society organisations, and the media.
In line with the Forum’s mission of preventive diplomacy to lessen electoral-related tension and violence in West Africa, the statement reads: “Since its establishment in 2020, WAEF, an initiative of the Goodluck Jonathan Foundation, has undertaken missions to different countries in the sub-region, including Gambia and Nigeria.
The mission “urges inhabitants of Sierra Leone to approach the election with greatest patriotism by prioritising the nation’s peace and stability and desist from activities capable of undermining the nation’s democracy,” Jonathan said.
