The West Africa Elders Forum (WAEF) have called for peaceful, free and fair polling as Nigerians get ready for Saturday’s governorship and state 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 seek to 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 John Mahama, former president of Ghana, and Goodluck Jonathan, Nigeria’s former president, the forum charged security authorities to be alert to their responsibilities and check any unlawful activities during the elections.
WAEF encouraged INEC to address the challenges identified by various stakeholders during the February 25 elections, while also commending Nigerians for their peaceful disposition.
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.”
