Obasanjo is in Sierra Leone on a pre-election mission.
The West African Elders’ Forum (WAEF) has sent a pre-election fact-finding team to Sierra Leone, led by former President Olusegun Obasanjo, ahead of the country’s June 2023 general elections.
Wealth Ominabo, Communications Officer, Goodluck Jonathan Foundation (GJF), the host of WAEF, released a statement in Abuja on Wednesday.
Former President Goodluck Jonathan and former Vice President of The Gambia, Fatoumata Tambajang, were also members of the fact-finding team, according to Ominabo.
He stated that the team would contact with significant political leaders and other important players in Sierra Leone in order to increase voters’ confidence and faith in the electoral process.
“On Wednesday (April 12), a two-day mission to support inclusive and peaceful general elections is scheduled to begin.”
“Members of the missions will hold consultations with the country’s political actors and stakeholders, including civil society and the Diplomatic Corps, as well as the Electoral Management Bodies and Agencies.”
“This is to assess the level of preparedness for conducting free, fair, and credible elections,” he explained.
The mission to Sierra Leone, according to Ominabo, was in line with the Forum’s goal of fostering preventive diplomacy as a strategy of lowering electoral-related tension and bloodshed across Africa.
He stated that WAEF, which was established in 2020 to promote peace, democracy, and good governance, had conducted preventative diplomacy missions in a number of countries, including Gambia and Nigeria.
“In addition to its engagements in Sierra Leone, WAEF is planning a similar mission to Liberia, both of which will hold general elections in 2023,” Ominabo stated.
He reminded that following Nigeria’s presidential and national assembly elections on February 25, WAEF sent a team of former presidents to meet with some of the presidential contenders and other key stakeholders in the country.
He stated that the team was discussing a message of peace with stakeholders in order to prevent post-election violence in the country.
Sierra Leone’s elections in 2023 will be the country’s sixth democratic election and the fifth since the civil war ended in 2002.