Former President Goodluck Jonathan led a delegation of the West African Elders Forum (WAEF) observation mission to Ghana on Wednesday.
The country will hold its general elections on December 7.
Other members of the delegation include former Burkinabe Prime Minister, Mr. Kadre Ouedraogo, Executive Director of the Goodluck Jonathan Foundation, Ms. Ann Iyonu, and Special Adviser to the former president, Ikechukwu Eze.
The WAEF’s Communications Officer, Wealth Dickson Ominabo, disclosed this in a statement in Abuja.
Jonathan in a message shortly after the team arrived in Ghana, urged Ghanaians to be patriotic and work for peaceful, free, and transparent elections.
He commended the people of Ghana for their enduring commitment to democratic values, adding that Ghana’s history of peaceful political transitions served as a beacon for democratic governance across Africa.
“The upcoming elections present another opportunity for Ghanaians to reinforce their dedication to democracy, stability, and development,” he stated.
The mission leaders also charged the country’s electoral commission and the security agencies to keep to their mandate of independence and neutrality to ensure a credible polling process.
“WAEF urges the Electoral Commission of Ghana to uphold its mandate of conducting free and fair elections and ensuring the transparency and credibility of the 2024 elections as a way of building trust among the electorate and stakeholders.
“We encourage the security agencies to sustain their professional conduct, maintain their neutrality and a peaceful electoral environment by ensuring impartial deployment to safeguard voting materials, polling centres, and citizens across the country.
“As we approach the end of campaign activities, we urge all political parties and their candidates to reaffirm their commitment to peaceful campaigns devoid of hate speech, inflammatory rhetoric, and personal attacks,” the former Nigerian leader added.
He also urged political parties, candidates, and all stakeholders to respect the integrity of the electoral process and pledged to resolve disputes through lawful and constitutional channels.
