Joseph Inokotong, Abuja
The West Africa Elders Forum (WAEF) has called for peace, free and fair polling as Nigerians get ready for Saturday’s gubernatorial and States Assembly elections.
The Forum also urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct the elections in accordance with the nation’s electoral laws and address the challenges identified by various stakeholders after the February 25 Presidential elections, as a means of protecting the integrity of the electoral process.
In a statement jointly signed by the leader of WAEF’s 2023 Election Mission to Nigeria and former President of Ghana John Mahama and convener of the Forum, former Nigerian President Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, the elders further charged the security authorities to be alert to their responsibilities and check the unlawful activities of those seeking to disrupt the elections.
Commending Nigerians for their peaceful disposition and faith in the nation’s democracy, WAEF also urged Nigerians to be law-abiding and desist from acts that could mar Saturday’s elections and threaten the peace of the country and the sub-region.
The Forum also praised the presidential candidates in the last elections for heeding the elders’ advice to tow the path of peace and follow legal means to address the grievances observed during the last elections.
The statement further said:
“The Forum urges the umpire, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the security operatives, and other stakeholders to act in accordance with the laws of the land and exercise their constitutional responsibilities in a manner that will promote peace and protect the integrity of the electoral process.
“There is, therefore, the need for the electoral body to take into account the complaints raised by the different stakeholders, including local and international observers, during the presidential and national assembly elections and make a commitment to resolving those challenges.
“We reiterate our earlier statement made after the Presidential and National Assembly elections that Nigeria is a major stakeholder in the sustainability of democracy in West Africa. The responsibility of maintaining the nation’s thriving democracy and the general peace of our sub-region rests on all our shoulders, especially on the credibility of INEC and other election management bodies in West Africa, during elections.”
The full text of the statement titled: “Statement by WAEF ahead of Governorship and State Assembly elections”, reads:
“The West Africa Elders Forum (WAEF) Election Mission to Nigeria, 2023, once again commends Nigerians for their calmness and maturity during the last Presidential and National Assembly elections and wishes to call for fair, peaceful, and transparent elections as citizens gear up to go to the polls for the Gubernatorial and State Assembly elections, on Saturday.
“The Mission urges political parties, candidates, and their supporters to carry out their civic responsibilities within the ambit of the law and refrain from acts that could lead to violence and the breakdown of law and order during and after the polls.
“Ahead of this second round of elections, we have observed the untoward actions of some party loyalists in some states meant to induce voter suppression by intimidating the citizens and discouraging them from exercising their civic rights.
“This same trend was noticeable three weeks ago during the presidential and national assembly elections. The citizens overcame these challenges and were able to cast their ballots and we are hopeful that, this time also, they will be out in their numbers to cast their ballots in defense of the nation’s democracy.
The Forum urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the security operatives, and other stakeholders to act in accordance with the laws of the land and exercise their constitutional responsibilities in a manner that will promote peace and protect the integrity of the electoral process.
“The police must clamp down on miscreants who intimidate voters. This will help to stop the reign of impunity in Nigeria.”
