Former South African President Thabo Mbeki will head a team of Commonwealth election observers to Nigeria, which will host Africa’s greatest democratic exercise when general elections are held on February 25.
Following an invitation from Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission, Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland KC established the Commonwealth Observer Group.
An estimated 93.4 million registered voters will be able to vote for presidential and national assembly candidates in 176,846 polling locations spread over 774 local government districts in January 2023.
The Commonwealth Secretary-General announced the group, saying: “The Commonwealth remains a committed and reliable partner in Nigeria’s continuing journey towards peaceful democratic governance. Since 1999, we have observed all six general elections in Nigeria and the deployment of this observer group is a testament to the Commonwealth’s enduring support for the promotion of the culture, processes and institutions of democracy in Nigeria.
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“In accordance with the values and principles of the Commonwealth Charter, the work of the group seeks to promote transparency, strengthen democracy and the rule of law, and protect the right of the people of Nigeria to participate in credible, transparent and inclusive elections to shape their society.
“This month’s elections hold immense significance not just for Nigeria, but for the entire African continent and the wider democratic world. It is, therefore, essential that all stakeholders in Nigeria reaffirm their shared commitment to ensuring a peaceful election environment which is conducive to the free exercise of people’s franchise and in which fundamental freedoms and rights are respected.”
She also thanked President Mbeki for accepting her offer to lead the group, as well as each observer for consenting to take on this crucial task on behalf of the Commonwealth.
The group’s independent and unbiased mandate is to watch the election preparations, polling, counting, and results process, as well as the broader electoral atmosphere. The observers will evaluate the whole process and, if necessary, provide recommendations for upgrading Nigeria’s election system.
Before being sent to various regions of Nigeria, the delegation will meet with election officials, political parties, law enforcement agencies, the media, and civil society organisations representing women, youth, and persons with disabilities.
After completing its task, the group will submit its recommendations in the form of a report to the Commonwealth Secretary-General, who will forward it to the Government of Nigeria, the Independent National Electoral Commission, the leadership of political parties participating in the elections, and all Commonwealth governments. Following that, the report will be made public.
The Commonwealth Observer will be in Nigeria from February 18 to March 2, and the Group will include 16 distinguished Commonwealth citizens, including politicians, diplomats, and specialists in the fields of law, human rights, gender equality, and election administration. The complete team is mentioned here.
They will be assisted by a Commonwealth Secretariat staff team led by Joshua Setipa, Senior Director of the Strategy, Portfolio, Partnerships, and Digital Division.
The Commonwealth is a non-profit organisation comprised of 56 autonomous and equal countries. It has a population of 2.5 billion people and contains both advanced and emerging economies.
