Monrovia — Former Nigerian President Goodluck E. Jonathan and former Prime Minister of Burkina Faso and ECOWAS Commission President Kadrie Desire Ouedraogo paid a courtesy visit to Bhofal Chambers, Speaker of the 54th Legislature House of Representatives, to discuss Liberia's upcoming elections scheduled for October 10th this year.
The visit by the former Nigerian President and his delegation is part of his Foundation's initiative to promote democracy in Africa through the West Africa Elders Forum. The statesmen engaged in a meeting at the Capitol building office in Monrovia, where they discussed various topics including democracy in Africa, the sub-region, and Liberia's responsibility in holding its 4th postwar Presidential Elections in October.
Former President Jonathan emphasized the importance of the Liberian Legislature to the country's democracy and highlighted the significance of his visit to the Capitol Building, which serves as the seat of the Liberian Legislature.
During the meeting, the former Nigerian President informed Speaker Chambers that their presence in the country aimed to conduct preliminary fact-finding and mediation meetings with key stakeholders, both within and outside the government, in preparation for the General and Presidential elections in October 2023. He assured the Speaker that his delegation would return to Liberia as the elections drew closer, including on the voting day itself.
Regarding his observations during the visit, the former Nigerian Head of State expressed concern about the prevalence of hate speech disguised as free speech, which he deemed detrimental to Liberia and its people. As the head of the West African Elders Forum delegation, he urged Liberians to learn from the positive examples set by other elections in the sub-region and apply those experiences to ensure a successful electoral process in October, as the international community closely observes Liberia's electoral affairs.
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Speaker Dr. Bhofal Chambers, in response, assured the delegation from the West African Elders Forum that the Liberian Legislature had exerted all efforts in collaboration with the Executive to ensure the success of the October Elections. He emphasized that the election outcome would impact several seats in the Legislature, in accordance with the law.
Dr. Chambers commended the visiting delegation for choosing Liberia as a destination for their electoral fact-finding mission. He acknowledged that Liberia had garnered attention from its neighboring countries in various aspects and pledged that Liberia and its people would undertake nothing that would undermine their future and aspirations.
Also present at the meeting were Rep. Acarous Moses Gray, Rep. Alex C. Grant, and Rep. Ivan K. Jones at the Capitol Building in Monrovia.
