According to the opposition Unity Party’s Secretary General, Mr. Amos Tweh, former Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan, on Wednesday, July 12, evening met with leaders of Liberia’s political parties on a “pre-campaign mediation mission”. President Jonathan’s mission is under the auspices of West African Elders Forum (WAEF), which is an initiative of the Goodluck Jonathan Foundation established to serve as a home-grown non-partisan platform of past Heads of States and Government of West Africa.
The UP SG said the discussions among these major stakeholders, centered on the concerns of electoral stakeholders, in particular the level plain field ahead of the October 10, 2023 Presidential and Legislative Elections.
UP’s standard bearer, Ambassador Joseph Nyuma Boakai, who is also a former Vice President of Liberia, expressed gratitude to WAEF on behalf of his party.
Former Veep Boakai highlighted the issues of security, limited funding to the NEC, the independence of the court, the timeliness of adjudicating election related cases and the reported plan by the government to thwart the democratic will of the people.
He stressed the collective desire of the people for a free, fair, transparent and credible election. “The people want nothing less than a transparent and credible process that protects their democratic decisions. As a party, we are prepared to stand with them to defend their democratic rights: nothing short of a free, fair, transparent and credible election will be accepted by the people and the entire opposition bloc in Liberia.”
While reaffirming the Unity Party’s commitment to uphold the Farmington Declaration for a nonviolence elections, the UP’s standard bearer, who is nicknamed “Rescue One” by his partisans, called on President Jonathan and his WAEF mediation delegation, ECOWAS and other regional bodies including the UN and Foreign Embassies to frequently monitor developments in Liberia as the October 10 legislative and presidential elections near.
Making remarks, the founder of WAEF, President Goodluck Jonathan, thanked Amb. Boakai for expressing the collective position of the Liberian people, and for the reaffirmation of commitment for a violent free election in line with the Farmington River Declaration. The former Nigerian leader narrated tales of his experience mediating in conflict and/or disagreements arising from elections across the sub-region. He promised to inform relevant regional authorities about the concerns of the Liberian people as expressed by the former Vice President.
The former Nigerian leader pledged to return with a full delegation to observe the October 10 Presidential and Legislative Elections.
