Former Nigerian President, Goodluck Jonathan has expressed confidence in the Electoral Commission (EC) of Ghana to conduct a credible election on Dec 7.
Mr. Jonathan has said he believes the EC is competent to do what is right to promote peace and advance democracy in Ghana.
He made these remarks after a productive meeting with the EC, representing the West African Elders Forum (WAEF) – a body made up of former heads of government.
Mr. Jonathan was accompanied by former Prime Minister of Burkina Faso, Kadré Désiré Ouédraogo for a pre-election assessment of the EC.
He further lauded Ghana for its high rating in democratic practices across Africa, despite existing challenges.
On the part of the EC Chairperson, Jean Mensa, she said the endorsement from the WAEF representatives should serve as assurance to Ghanaians.
In a related development, the National Elections Security Taskforce has assured a delegation of the West African Elder Forum, led by former President of Nigeria, Mr Goodluck Jonathan, of the provision of enhanced security during the December 7 general elections.
The West African Elders Forum is a platform of eminent personalities, including former heads of states and government, who provide mediation and interlocutory roles in addressing elections and democratic conflicts in West Africa.
Speaking at a meeting with the delegation at the Police Headquarters in Accra, the chairman of the Taskforce and Inspector General of Police, Dr George Akufo Dampare, said the security agencies, based on previous elections, had instituted election security measures into its mainstream security measure.
This, he noted, made the security agencies in the country adequately prepared for the upcoming general elections in terms of security management and control.
For his part, Mr. Jonathan explained that the success of any peaceful election depended on the role of two key institutions, which were the election management body (EC) and the security agencies. According to him, the confidence of the citizenry in the two institutions was key and therefore urged the EC and security agencies to ensure that adequate security and electoral processing measures were put in place in order not to lose the trust and confidence of the citizenry.
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