Polls: Mahama, ECOWAS Chair To Jonathan, We Don’t Expect Post Election Violence

The Chairman of the Authority of Heads of State of Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and Ghanaian President John Draman Mahama, on Monday met with President Goodluck Jonathan at the presidential wing of the international airport, Abuja.

Addressing newsmen after a closed door meeting, Mahama said Nigeria was among five African countries in the sub-region that are going into elections, and ECOWAS as usual is to ensure elections are held peacefully and in a transparent environment.

He said the sub-regional body, is not expecting 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 the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) announces the results.

He said Nigeria being the largest economy and the largest nation in the ECOWAS region, her safety and security is the safety of and security of the whole of ECOWAS region, hence the wish of the body that all Nigerians will come out and express their votes and their votes would count towards electing who becomes the next leader of the country.

Mahama said ECOWAS like the international community was solidly behind  Nigeria to have a very transparent election so that the democratic process in Nigeria will be better entrenched.

He said, “I am here in my capacity as the Chairman of the Authority of Heads of States of ECOWAS on election visit to the Federal Republic of Nigeria. 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 this elections are held in a peaceful and transparent environment.

“And so ECOWAS has undertaking in  all  these countries that are facing elections, long term electoral observer missions. These 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.

“We have tried to ensure that obstacles to free and fair elections are removed to ensure that election are free and fair, people would accept the results of those elections. As chair of the authorities of Heads of State of ECOWAS, I have extended my solidarity to the Nigerian people through my brother President Jonathan, to see that the whole of ECOWAS, not only ECOWAS, but 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 28 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 pass on successfully and Nigerian continue in the role that it plays in our sub -regional bodies. 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”.