Buhari to ECOWAS Leaders: Free, Transparent Polls Panacea for Peace, Stability in W’Africa

Deji Elumoye

President Muhammadu Buhari has told his fellow leaders in West Africa that free, transparent and credible elections are the panacea for peace and stability in the sub-region.

He, therefore called on West African leaders to do all within their powers to ensure that elections are conducted in their countries in an atmosphere of trust, freedom and transparency.

This, he said would be the only way the sub-region would be insulated from the scourge of unconstitutional take overs that reared their heads in three countries recently.

Buhari made this call yesterday in Monrovia, in a goodwill message to the Government and people of Liberia as he joined other world leaders on the occasion of the 175th Independence Anniversary of the West African nation.

According to the president, democracy and good governance must take its roots in Africa to sustain peace, stability and development, even as he urged leaders to redouble their efforts to guarantee the irreversibility of democracy.

He said: “I would like to use the opportunity of this event to address an important issue affecting three countries in the ECOWAS region –  Liberia, Nigeria and Sierra Leone.

“All the three nations have national elections in 2023. In Nigeria, we are working towards a free, fair, transparent, credible and acceptable outcome of elections and their results, it is important and necessary for all our countries to key into these resolves as they are indispensable to peace and stability in our countries and sub-region.

“The deepening of democracy and good governance are essential antidotes to check-mate unconstitutional change of governments as we sadly witnessed within the last three years in three countries within our sub-region. We must strengthen our efforts to guarantee the irreversibility of democracy in our sub-region and Africa.”

Buhari recalled Nigeria’s leading roles that pulled Liberia back from its fratricidal insurrection in the 90s, adding that his presence at the celebrations underscored his strong belief in cementing existing bilateral ties.

“Nigeria’s contributions to the survival and safety of Liberia are well known. The dark period of your country’s civil war from 1989 to 1997, was a period that Nigeria invested hugely for peace in Liberia and indeed stability in the rest of the ECOWAS sub-region. May those dark days never re-surface in our countries and sub-region,” he added.

He commended his Liberian counterpart, George Weah, for his demonstration of love for the country and the pursuance of peace, unity and progress, as evidenced by people-oriented projects executed with the sole purpose of taking the country to greater heights within the limited resources available.

While urging the Liberian leader to do more, Buhari assured him of Nigeria’s continued support in this regard.

“Your Excellency’s policy of development launched in 2018 as well as the recently launched youth empowerment program, targeted at comprehensively addressing the problems of youth restiveness in Liberia and equally aimed at rescuing the disadvantaged youths (ZOGOS in local parlance) from drug addictions and other forms of social vices and transforming them into useful members of the Liberian society, are clearly very appropriate policies to lift up the most vulnerable.

“Permit me to assure you and all Liberians that Nigeria, as a good partner and a dependable ally, would continue to support you in these efforts, within the limit of our resources.

“This brings to the fore, the need for strengthening and broadening the levels of collaboration and cooperation between our two countries, both bilaterally and multilaterally, within the ECOWAS, AU and the UN, in order to adequately tackle the common national, sub-regional and global challenges.”

Also speaking, Liberian President, Weah, thanked Buhari and other West African leaders for their attendance and to Nigeria’s president in particular, he said, “thank you Mr. President and the good people of Nigeria. Without your support we would not have had peace.”