Former president John Mahama has rubbished social media reports he had to cut short his stay in Sierra Leone as an election observer because he compromised his neutrality.
Reacting to allegations that he supported one of the presidential candidates, Mr. Mahama noted: “I have absolutely no interest in who becomes President of Sierra Leone at the end of this elections. I just believe that a credible election would consolidate not only Sierra Leone’s democracy but also its peace, bearing in mind its past gruesome civil war.”
He repudiated rumours that he was forced out due to the development.
“I bid farewell to President Koroma before I drove to the sea coach to leave for Lungi Airport. My departure from Freetown was not sudden and when I bid farewell to President Koroma I did not get any indication in word or deed that I was not wanted anymore in his country,” Ghana’s former president stated in a Facebook post upon his arrival in Accra.
Below is the full statement:
I arrived in Accra this evening to a flurry of social media stories and other worrying reports attributed to officials of the Sierra Leonean Government, that I had cut short my mission and left Freetown because of my support for one of the Candidates and Political Parties in the just ended Presidential Run-off election.
As Chair of the Commonwealth Observer Group to the Sierra Leone Election, I was officially due to complete my Mission and leave Sierra Leone on Monday April 02, 2018, via Kenya Airways as per the ticket bought and issued to me by the Commonwealth Secretariat in London.
Following multiple issues that arose just when the tallying of the result from the run-off began, I was requested through a call from the Secretary General of The Commonwealth, Baroness Scotland, to stay one more day to work with my colleague Heads of International Observer Missions to resolve issues that had stalled the tallying process.
My departure was therefore delayed until Tuesday April 03, 2018.
With this extension in mind, I joined my colleagues in multiple meetings with the political stakeholders on April 01, 2018 until well after midnight to achieve consensus in order to have the tallying process proceed. All these meetings were chaired by Professor Amos Sawyerr, Head of the ECOWAS Observation Mission.
In the afternoon, just before my departure from Freetown, I joined my colleague former Presidents, Amos Sawyer of Liberia, Kgalema Motlanthe of South Africa and the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General, Dr. Mohammed Ibn Chambas at the Presidential Lodge to brief President Ernest Bai Koroma on our efforts in reaching an agreement between the political parties and the National Electoral Commission in order that the tallying process could proceed.
I bid farewell to President Koroma before I drove to the sea coach to leave for Lungi Airport.
My departure from Freetown was not sudden and when I bid farewell to President Koroma I did not get any indication in word or deed that I was not wanted anymore in his country.
I was leaving because by my agreement with The Commonwealth my mandate as Head of Mission had ended. The Commonwealth technical team were also due to leave Freetown on April 03, 2018 but a cancellation of their Air France flight is keeping them there till Wednesday April 04, 2018.
International Observers have no capacity to change the will of the people, in any election. I, John Dramani Mahama, have no interest in who governs the people of Sierra Leone. The long nights, early mornings, long meetings, diplomatic shuttles were all aimed at helping Sierra Leone choose their leader freely, maintain the peace and consolidate their democracy.
As President of the Republic of Ghana and Chair of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government in 2014, I visited Sierra Leone when all others abandoned the country and foreigners were leaving. I offered my country as the staging post for the fight against Ebola.
I have expressed openly to anyone who would listen to the progress Sierra Leone has made since I last visited when the country was at its most vulnerable, at the height of the Ebola crisis. I have absolutely no interest in who becomes President of Sierra Leone at the end of this elections. I just believe that a credible election would consolidate not only Sierra Leone’s democracy but also its peace, bearing in mind its past gruesome civil war.
If my presence, in the midst of a volatile and violent situation, at Goderich during the first round of voting to prevent what would have clearly marred a beautiful day of election, or my actions in conducting my mandate as head of my mission has so angered some people so much, as to throw such accusations at me, I can only respond that, I wish Sierra Leone well and that on this exhausting mission, I put my best experience at the service of that nation’s democracy and I pray that the in the end, whoever emerges as leader will continue to consolidate this process and continue to build on the good works of his predecessors.
Let us all continue to join the good people of Sierra Leone in prayer.
John Dramani Mahama Former President of Ghana
Source: starnews
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wow this man has serious credibility problem
Ghanaians are not going to eat gentleness or allowed themselves to be rule by such and incompetent, discredited, corrupt,Thiev like John Mahama. Ghanaians prefer that Short, incorruptible, hard working short man than that tall Zoobie f001 John Ford.
@ idi*t coward with npp, a ***barred word*** will never change even when change is there. He beg Ghanaians and they listened and booted your spongebob square head president, there is nothing in his head and the good people of Sierra Leone made it clear they are not ***barred word*** like the ndc to entertain such a person let alone vote him to become president. This shows f00000ls voted for john mahama. Find the audio going round with a Sierra Leone accent and you will know how hopeless and us*less those people take your darling poker boy for. Nana Addo's worst is John mahama's best and true and authentic Ghanaians voted for Nana and we will vote 100× to keep him and make our country great! Kwas*a like you ndc bufoon. Your ndc party will rot in opposition, ndc is like a car without an engine Hahahahahahahahaha! Awuto!!ndc kojooto!
Is this Niget correct upstairs? What do you mean by fine gentleman? The people of Sierra Leone are saying they are not ***barred word*** to be f000led by John mahama and you say fine gentleman, the rest of Africa don't see him as such because ndc have different eyes from the rest of the world, The people of Sierra Leone discredit your fine gentleman as SpongeBob square head hahahahaha! That's the ndc fine fentlemam. I like and love my dwarf president who will never be humiliated by Africans because he represent a true and authentic Ghanaian with credibility, wisdom, decency and civility. Ndc nkwaseafuo party! Mo besu ara awu! Nana is the President of the republic and no voodoo or Juju can unmade what God has make.
An incompetent Nana is 1000 time better than a competent JDM. This fact not political talk.
Run away man, the guy has credibility problem he cannot steak to what is agreed.
YOU WENT TO KENYA AND CONNIVED TO RIG THE ELECTIONS, BRINGING THE NATION TO DISPUTE. YOU WENT TO SIERRA LEON AND SAME IS HAPPENING. WHY ARE YOU RUNNING AWAY? ***barred word***.
Mahama is far far better, 100% better than Akuffo Addo. Ghana made a big mistake in voting for Akufo Addo, he was almost crying begging for Ghanaians to vote for him back in 2016. Short old man devil--super incompetent Akufo addo
Good for Sierra Leone. i think they made the right decision.
I am a Ghanaian living in Sierra Leone.President Mahama did nothing wrong. In fact, but for his intervention in the Goderich issue that he refers to,there would have been chaos in that country. Everyone was glad for his intervention, except the ruling party. since then they have made several attempts to spoil his name and reputation. The Ghanaian community here was worried and we were wondering whether to prevail on the Ghana high commission here to prevail on him not to come here during the run-off. Please leave that man alone.