EU deploys 687 observers to monitor Anambra election

From Fred Ezeh, Abuja

The European Union (EU) has reaffirmed its commitment to credible, peaceful, and inclusive electoral processes in Nigeria as it supports Saturday’s Anambra governorship election through the EU Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria (EU-SDGN) programme.

To this end, the EU said it has deployed 687 election observers across Anambra State for the Saturday governorship election, working in coordinated clusters that cover election integrity, disability inclusion, gender participation, peacebuilding, media and misinformation tracking, logistics observation, and real-time data reporting.

The EU said the EU-SDGN programme is enabling its civil society partners to deploy election observers, strengthen peacebuilding, advance disability and gender inclusion, counter misinformation, and reinforce public confidence in the democratic process.

It further noted that seven of the 16 EU-SDGN implementing partners, notably The Kukah Centre, Yiaga Africa, International Press Centre (IPC), Centre for Media and Society (CEMESO), Nigeria Women Trust Fund (NWTF), ElectHER, and TAF Africa, are already on the ground in Anambra State, and they are operating from a Unified Election Observation Hub designed to ensure coherence, message alignment, and shared visibility throughout the poll.

Laolu Olawumi, Programme Manager, Democracy, Rule of Law and Gender of the EU Delegation Nigeria and ECOWAS, said the key feature of the unified deployment is to obtain a broad view of the election by utilising the diverse skills and experience of the EU-SDGN partners, analyse the findings, and compile them into a comprehensive report that will be made public and available to all stakeholders.

He said: “This is one of the most extensive civil society-led observer deployments ever recorded for a state election in Nigeria. Each cluster is collecting evidence from a different angle. When the findings are merged, they would offer a fuller, verifiable picture of the election that no single organisation could produce alone.

“The observers are distributed across several thematic areas including election integrity and results verification; disability inclusion with trained observers and stand-alone sign language interpreters; gender participation with observers tracking women-related issues; media and misinformation tracking through journalists and fact-checkers deployed across polling locations; peacebuilding and conflict prevention; and the monitoring of polling logistics and the distribution of sensitive election materials.

“This election is an opportunity to demonstrate that inclusion and credibility are shared democratic standards. Working from a single hub enables us to coordinate evidence, avoid duplication, and deliver a unified assessment of the process.”

He noted that earlier in the week, the EU-SDGN programme supported the signing of the Anambra Election Peace Accord involving all candidates and political parties. “The Peace Accord is not the conclusion, but the beginning of responsibility. Candidates must not only sign for peace, but act peacefully and respect the will of the voters.”

In addition to that, the EU-SDGN programme also presented a Joint Pre-Election Assessment Report that analysed the political climate, security risks, media environment, and levels of gender and disability inclusion; and offered 66 actionable recommendations to strengthen electoral credibility, voter access, and institutional preparedness.

He also noted that the EU-SDGN is an EU-funded Nigerian civil society-led programme working to strengthen credible, inclusive, and peaceful elections across the country.

“While The Kukah Centre leads on peacebuilding and interfaith dialogue; Yiaga Africa anchors election observation and data-driven civic participation; IPC and CEMESO strengthen media professionalism and safety while advancing media monitoring and counter-misinformation efforts; while the NWTF and ElectHER drive women’s political inclusion and leadership, promoting greater representation of young women in elective office; and TAF Africa champions disability rights and inclusive electoral participation for persons with disabilities,” he said.