The West African Elders Forum (WAEF) 2023 Election Mission to Sierra Leone has arrived in Freetown to encourage and support a peaceful democratic transition ahead of the country’s general election scheduled for June 24.
This was contained in a statement issued on Wednesday by the Communications Officer of the Goodluck Jonathan Foundation (GJF), host of the WAEF, Mr Wealth Ominabo.
According to the statement, former President of Nigeria, Goodluck Jonathan, is the head of mission.
The team also includes a former Burkinabe prime minister and one-time president of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Kadre Ouedraogo, and staff from the WAEF secretariat as members.
“The mission urges citizens of Sierra Leone to approach the election with utmost patriotism by prioritizing the nation’s peace and stability and refrain from acts capable of undermining the nation’s democracy”, the statement quoted the head of mission as saying.
It further said, “The team will have a series of consultative engagements with different political actors and key stakeholders in Sierra Leone, including leadership of the political parties, the candidates, the Election Commission for Sierra Leone (ECSL), security agencies, the diplomatic community, civil society groups, and the media.
“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, in line with the Forum’s mission of preventive diplomacy to reduce electoral-related tension and violence in West Africa.
