By Abdullahi M. Gulloma & Bode Olagoke, Abuja
The Chairman of the Authority of Heads of State of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and President of Ghana, Mr. John Draman Mahama, yesterday held closed-door meetings with President Goodluck Jonathan and the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), General Muhammadu Buhari, urging both parties to respect the peace accord.
Speaking to State House correspondents after meeting with Jonathan, Mahama called on politicians to ensure a violence-free election and accept the wishes of the people in good faith.
He said ECOWAS would support for a free, fair and non-violence poll for Nigeria as an important member of the regional body, adding that the country’s safety and security would guarantee safety and security in ECOWAS.
Mahama said: “As you know, Nigeria is a very important member of ECOWAS. The largest economy, the largest nation in the ECOWAS region and so Nigeria’s safety and security is the safety of and security of the whole of ECOWAS region, and so I stand on behalf of all the presidents of ECOWAS and wish that all Nigerians will come out and express their votes and their votes would count towards electing who becomes the next leader of this country.
“As you are aware, our sub-region this year has five countries that are going through elections and ECOWAS has been involved in ensuring that these elections are held in a peaceful and transparent environment.
“Missions have been monitoring the electoral process in the lead up to the elections not just before the elections, but from a longer period.
“We have received several monitoring reports and we are working together with the electoral commissions of the countries and the authorities of those countries.”
He said ECOWAS had tried to ensure that all obstacles to free and fair elections were removed so that people would accept the results of the elections.
“The international community is in solidarity with Nigeria to have a very transparent election so that the democratic process in Nigeria will be better entrenched.
“This is a critical election for Nigeria and it will be one more indication for the world that Nigeria is a democratic country and ruled by tenets of good governance and rule of law. And so, we want to wish you all the best.
“We are meeting with the INEC to look at the state of preparedness and we believe that following the postponement of the election, from the 14th of February to the 28th of March has given the INEC much more time to be able to meet all its processes and be in readiness to ensure that voters are not disenfranchised and that the results of the elections are accepted.
“We expect that there will be no post-election violence and that all the parties involved in the election would accept the results of the election in good faith when INEC has announced the results of the elections.
“ECOWAS would continue to monitor the situation and would do everything possible to stand in solidarity with Nigerian people to ensure that this election passed on successfully and Nigeria continue in the role that it plays in our sub-regional bodies.”
At his meeting with Buhari, the ECOWAS chief said the sub-regional body was satisfied with the level of arrangement being made by INEC to ensure free, fair and credible elections.
Addressing journalists shortly after the meeting that lasted 30 minutes at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja, the Ghanaian president said he had earlier discussed all issues that had to do with the election with Jonathan and got his firm assurance that everything was ready and set for the polls.
“I began this morning with a meeting with President Jonathan and we discussed all issues that have to do with the coming election and I had firm assurances that everything is set to go and on March 28 this election will come up,” he said.
Mahama, who arrived the Old Presidential Lounge at about 6:07 p.m. and was followed later by Buhari, told journalists that he also met with other political stakeholders and the chairman of INEC, Prof. Attahiru Jega, earlier in the day.
He said from what the INEC chairman showed the ECOWAS team regarding logistic and deployment for the election, he is convinced that things are set for credible poll.
He said the ECOWAS representative, former President Kuffor, is going to arrive Nigeria on March 25 and is going to remain in the country till the end of the elections and after the elections.
“We are satisfied with the deployment that the various monitoring groups are going to do. So the international community are going to have their eyes on the country to witness how the election goes and be able to make decisions and endorsements if everything has gone free and fair.
“Following my meeting with President Jonathan, I met with the INEC chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega, and he gave me the figures of their roll-out in terms of logistics and deployment and I believe that from what he showed that the commission has done satisfactorily well to be able to ensure that every Nigerian can exercise their franchise.
“The whole of West and indeed the international community is watching your country because we believe that this election is critical and is another step that consolidates democracy in Nigeria.
“We expect the election to be free, transparent and credible. ECOWAS is going to do everything possible to work with the political stakeholders and the Independent Electoral Commission to make sure that (the) election process is credible and acceptable to the people of Nigeria.”