Ex President, Jonathan Bemoans Conflict between incumbent presidents, predecessors

Former President Goodluck Jonathan has called for effective collaboration among serving and past leaders in West Africa to address issues affecting the peaceful transfer of power in the region.

In a statement, Wealth Ominabo, communications officer of the Goodluck Jonathan Foundation (GJF), said the former president spoke at a strategy meeting of the West African Elders Forum (WAEF) in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.

Jonathan noted that the friction between incumbent presidents and their predecessors is not in the best interest of democracy.

“One grey area we have to look into is the observed antagonism between past leaders and serving leaders in some countries of the sub-region. This does not encourage the healthy practice of democracy,” he said.

“Also, in some of our countries, the democratic space appears to be shrinking. There is the need to figure out how to navigate through such challenge to grow democracy in West Africa and the rest of Africa.”

Jonathan further said the focus of the forum is preventive diplomacy and to see how best to engage with stakeholders in West Africa ahead of forthcoming elections in some countries.