"Our collective efforts are necessary to ensure sincere democracy, peace and security in West Africa," he added.

Dr Jonathan made the call at a two-day strategy meeting of WAEF in Accra.

The meeting was attended by former President of Liberia, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf; Mali, Dioconda Traore; a former Prime Minister of Burkina Faso, Kadre Desire Ouedraogo, and a former Vice-President of The Gambia, Fatoumata Tambajang.

Also in attendance was a former UN Envoy, Dr Mohammed Ibn Chambas.

Foundation

The forum, birthed under the Goodluck Jonathan Foundation, was established to serve as a platform for foremost elder statesmen and women, as well as opinion leaders in West Africa, to play roles in mediation, conflict resolution and interlocutory functions to resolve election-related conflicts, support democracy, peace and security in the sub-region.

Since its inception in 2020, WAEF has successfully played active roles in mediating peaceful elections in the Gambia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Liberia and recently, Senegal.

A key approach adopted by the elders is convening of strategy meetings to assess sociopolitical trends and developments within the sub-region, and propose strategies for halting or mitigating some of the trends to forestall a further deterioration of peace and stability in the sub-region.

Commitment

Dr Jonathan said as a forum of elders who should otherwise be on retirement, members had shown resilience in their commitment to peace initiatives and the promotion of democracy in the sub-region, in line with the foundation’s mission and vision.

The meeting is the third in a series to review and re-examine the forum’s engagements in the pursuit of its objectives towards the deployment of preventive diplomacy in the attainment of peace and advancement of democracy.

It also aims at encouraging good governance to reduce social tension in West Africa.

“The democratic space appears to be shrinking in some of our countries and we, as WAEF members, cannot afford to sit idly by and watch.”

“We all must collaborate in the effort to make our people the cornerstone of our democracy by ensuring that their votes count during elections, and that our polling process is above board by being transparent and credible,” he said.

Collaboration

Dr Jonathan, a former President of Nigeria, also called for close relations between serving and former Presidents, adding “there should be no rivalry”.  

“Our activities as former presidents and the progress we make in promoting democracy and peace in the sub-region, as well as our personal efforts to enhance the lives of our people through our pet projects, should always reflect the positive point that there is life after Presidency,” he said.

He said the forum would continue to channel its efforts towards the peaceful resolution of conflicts and by supporting initiatives that foster national dialogue and strengthen democratic institutions such as electoral bodies, parliaments and judiciaries.

It would also work towards ensuring the building of inclusive governance structures that empower marginalised communities, promote social justice and address grievances.

Activities

The Executive Director of the Goodluck Jonathan Foundation, Ann Iyonu, said the forum had successfully played an active role in mediating peaceful elections in some countries in the sub-region.

She said it had also intervened in addressing nascent political challenges in a couple of countries in the region where it had engaged some key political leaders at the highest level.

In a goodwill message, the UN Development Programme Regional Manager (Sub-Regional Hub for West and Central Africa), Njoya Tikum, pledged the support of the organisation to the activities of the forum.

The Director, Democratic Resilience in Africa Programme, Open Society Foundations, Chukwuemeka Eze, entreated the elders to continue with their good works.