The West African Elders’ Forum (WAEF) has deployed a pre-election fact-finding mission led by former President Olusegun Obasanjo to Sierra Leone, ahead of the country’s general elections scheduled for June 2023.
In a statement in Abuja on Wednesday, the Communications Officer of Goodluck Jonathan Foundation (GJF), the host of WAEF, Wealth Ominabo said the fact-finding mission also had former President Goodluck Jonathan and former Vice President of The Gambia, Fatoumata Tambajang as members.
He said the team would be interfacing with major political leaders and other key stakeholders in Sierra Leone, to deepen the confidence and trust of the citizens in the electoral process.
“The two-day mission in support of inclusive and peaceful general elections is billed to begin today (Wednesday).
“Members of the missions will hold consultations with the country’s political actors and stakeholders, including the civil society, Diplomatic Corps, Electoral Management Bodies, and Agencies.
“This is in a bid to ascertain the level of preparedness towards conducting free, fair, and credible elections”, he said.
Ominabo said the mission to Sierra Leone was in line with the forum’s objective of promoting preventive diplomacy as a means of reducing electoral-related tension and violence in Africa.
He said that the forum was founded in 2020 to promote peace, democracy, and good governance.
The communication officer said the forum had carried out preventive diplomacy missions to many countries, including Gambia and Nigeria.
“Beyond its engagements in Sierra Leone, WAEF is scheduled to carry out a similar mission to Liberia, two nations that hold general elections in 2023″, Ominabo said.
He said that after Nigeria’s 25th February presidential and National Assembly elections, WAEF deployed a team of former presidents to hold consultations with some of the presidential candidates and other key stakeholders in the country.
He said the team was talking to the stakeholders on a message of peace to ensure that there was no post-election violence in the country.
Sierra Leone’s 2023 elections will be the country’s sixth democratic election and the fifth since the end of the civil war in 2002.
