The West African Democratic Solidarity Network (WADEMOS) will embark on a three-day solidarity mission to Nigeria, from January 25 to 27, ahead of the February 25 national elections. This will be the sixth consecutive presidential election since the country returned to multiparty democracy in 1999.
The WADEMOS network is a non-partisan transnational democratic solidarity network led by independent civil society. The network consists of more than 35 civil society organizations (CSOs) located in all 15 countries in West Africa, with the Secretariat based in Accra, Ghana, and located at the Ghana Center for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana).
While in Nigeria, the WADEMOS delegation is expected to meet and interact with the ECOWAS Commission in Abuja, Nigeria, and participate Independent Electoral Commission of Nigeria (INEC), on the preparation of national elections.
In addition, the Network is slated to hold consultations with other stakeholders, including the Nigerian Peace Council, political parties, civil society organizations, and the media. “The purpose of the visit is to interact with various stakeholders on the issues facing the sub-region and the implications of the upcoming Nigerian elections to strengthen democracy in the region. As a transnational civil society-led organization, it is important to have direct information from people who participate in the process,” said Professor Prempeh, WADEMOS Project Director.
“We are concerned about the situation in the sub-region. There are about three national elections this year, so it is important that Nigeria, as a regional authority in the sub-region, sets the tone for free, peaceful and transparent elections in the sub-region,” said Professor Prempeh.
The delegation of the WADEMOS Network will include representatives of the West African Election Observation Network (WAEON), the Rencontre Africaine pour la Defense des Droits de l’Homme (African Meeting for the Defense of Human Rights—RADDHO) in Senegal, the West African Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP), Institute for Research and Democratic Development (IREDD) in Liberia, AFLED in Mali, and National Elections Watch (NEW) in Sierra Leone.
As the most populous country and the largest economy in Africa, the outcome of the 2023 presidential election will have a significant impact on the political and economic direction of the country, and the West African sub-region.
“We express solidarity with civil society, especially WADEMOS Members in Nigeria, namely, Yiaga Afrika, Center for Democracy and Development-West Africa (CDD-West Africa), Women in Politics Forum (WIPF), and Transition Monitoring Group (TMG) on the activities which is planned for Nigeria’s 2022 general elections and also to strengthen cooperation among pro-democracy actors participating in the elections,” WADEMOS Network Coordinator, Kop’ep Dabugat, noted.
“While we are advocating for free, fair, peaceful and transparent elections, we will also observe various aspects of the elections in relation to the context of democratic backwardness in West Africa. We have noted a high level of enthusiasm, especially among the youth, before the elections February 2023, and we hope that citizenship education activities will be intensified to promote informed and active citizen participation in the democratic process,” said the Network Coordinator.
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To continue our agenda to regionalize all national elections in sub-regions, WADEMOS will also share messages of solidarity from champions of democracy, creatives, and leaders of civil society organizations from West Africa with stakeholders in Nigeria and through various social media platforms. .
About WADEMOS
WADEMOS is a non-partisan transnational democratic solidarity network, led by independent civil society. The WADEMOS network includes more than 30 Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) located in 15 countries in West Africa. WADEMOS mobilizes, coordinates, and uses the collective power of civil society and other pro-democracy actors, resources, and opportunities in the West African sub-region to advance, defend, and support democracy and promote democratic norms and reforms.
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