LAGOS – Former President Goodluck Jonathan and former President of the Republic of Benin, Mr. Yayi Boni, have led the West African Elders’ Forum (WAEF), deployed on a pre-election fact-finding mission to Cote d’Ivoire ahead of the country’s presidential election scheduled for October 2025.
According to reports, members of the mission have already arrived in Abidjan on Monday afternoon.
A statement from the WAEF secretariat declared that other members of the fact-finding mission include chairman of Goodluck Jonathan Foundation and former Nigerian President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan; former Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS), Dr. Mohamed Ibn Chambas, as well as members of the West African Elders Forum Secretariat.
The executive director of the Goodluck Jonathan Foundation (GJF) and head of WAEF secretariat, Ms. Ann Iyonu, stated that the members would be in the country for three days within which they would be interfacing with key stakeholders in Cote d’Ivoire including the political parties, election management body, security authorities, civil society and members of the diplomatic community.
She maintained that the Elders’ engagements and consultations in Abidjan are meant to deepen the confidence and trust of Ivorians in the process and ensure a hitch-free election.
According to the statement from the secretariat, WAEF was established “as a home-grown, non-partisan platform of former Heads of State and Government in West Africa. It leverages the experience, stature, and networks of its members to provide advisory, mediation, and conflict resolution support services to political leaders across the region. Through its engagements, the Forum also contributes to the promotion of democracy, good governance, peace, and stability across the sub-region.
One of the Forum’s core objectives is to accompany West African countries in their efforts to consolidate democracy, particularly during electoral processes. In pursuit of this mandate, the statement further averred, “WAEF undertakes strategic engagements before, during, and after elections to ensure that disputes are addressed through dialogue and respect for the rule of law and to foster peaceful transitions.”
Since it was established in 2020, WAEF has conducted similar missions in many West African countries including Nigeria, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Senegal and Gambia.
In the scheduled Ivorian presidential elections, incumbent President Allasane Ouattara will be running against candidates of other parties including Ivory Coast’s two main opposition parties, the African People’s Party — Ivory Coast (PPA-CI) and the Democratic Party of Ivory Coast (PDCI).
In the previous two elections in 2015 and 2020, Ouattara won with more than 80 percent of the vote.
By Joy Anigbogu @TheIndependent
