Former Nigerian President, Goodluck Jonathan, has admonished politicians not to take the ongoing polls as a war since a defeat today does not bring the world to an end.
He says there is always an opportunity to contest again to secure victory, therefore making it unnecessary to indulge in acts which will destabilise the peace of the country.
“There are some people who feel they must win and if they do not win, then the heavens will come down, no Heavens will come down,” he said.
Mr. Jonathan is part of the West African Elders’ Forum composed of former Presidents who visited the National Elections Security Taskforce (NESTF) ahead of the December 7, 2024, elections.
During the visit, he addressed the media and urged politicians to know that it is their good deeds that would make them heroes after exiting office and not the violence they will create to destabilise the peace of the nation.
“We are all models, we all pass away, the country will stay, and we should all do. What people remember us for is positive, things not bringing crisis into our countries, so we plead with the politicians to take election as a game,” he said.
According to him, a transparent, free and fair election is what will make Ghana maintain its position as a model of democracy on the sub-region and the continent as a whole.
“We want the country to maintain that position and believe this election will not be different. We want an election that will be a peaceful election, that will be a transparent election that will be credible, and all the stakeholders will be happy,” he said.
He added that only person will emerge winner after the polls and has urged the others to accept the outcome of Ghanaians to instill the peace already in place.
Meanwhile, the Assistant Commissioner of Police Grace Ansah-Akrofi, Director of the Public Affairs Unit of the Ghana Police Service, assured that the National Elections Security Taskforce (NESTF) was fully prepared to maintain law and order before, during, and after the elections.
Mr. Jonathan was accompanied by other former presidents, including that of Burkina Faso.
Fabio Bargiacchi, Founder and Executive Director of the European Centre for Electoral Support (ECES), who also led a European delegation on a courtesy call to the NESTF, pledged their support for the deployment of the women’s branch of the Association of African Electoral Authorities.
The permanent Secretariat of the association is based at the Electoral Commission of Ghana.
“So, we would like to thank chairwoman Jean Mensa for the invitation and for the possibility to support the deployment of the African Association of Electoral Authorities here in Ghana for the December 7, 2024 elections.
“The team is also here to take lessons, learn where the different representatives of electromagnetics can actually consider for their own organisation of Electoral processes,” Mr. Jonathan added.
