Anambra election: EU deploys 687 observers under EU-SDGN programme

The European Union has deployed 687 civil society election observers across Anambra State ahead of Saturday’s governorship election under its EU Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria (EU-SDGN) programme.

Laolu Olawumi, Programme Manager, Democracy, Rule of Law and Gender at the EU Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS in Abuja, said the deployment reflects the EU’s commitment to supporting credible, peaceful and inclusive elections in Nigeria.

According to him, the EU-SDGN programme is enabling its civil society partners to monitor the poll, strengthen peacebuilding, advance disability and gender inclusion, counter misinformation, and reinforce public confidence in the process.

He disclosed that seven of the programme’s 16 implementing partners — 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 operating in the state from a Unified Election Observation Hub designed to ensure coherence, message alignment and shared visibility.

“A key feature of this unified deployment is that each partner contributes its expertise,” Olawumi explained. “The findings are analysed and compiled into a comprehensive report that will be made available to the public and all stakeholders.”

He noted that the observers are spread across various thematic clusters, including election integrity and results verification; disability inclusion with trained observers and sign language interpreters; gender participation; media and misinformation tracking; peacebuilding; conflict prevention; and logistics monitoring, including the movement of sensitive materials.

“This is one of the most extensive civil society-led observer deployments ever recorded for a state election in Nigeria,” he said. “When the evidence from all clusters is merged, it offers a fuller and verifiable picture of the election that no single organisation could produce alone.”

Earlier in the week, the EU-SDGN programme supported the signing of the Anambra Election Peace Accord, which brought together all candidates and political parties. Olawumi said the accord should guide candidates’ conduct throughout the process.

“The Peace Accord is not the conclusion but the beginning of responsibility,” he stressed. “Candidates must not only sign for peace but act peacefully and respect the will of the voters.”

Ahead of the election, the EU-SDGN also released a Joint Pre-Election Assessment Report analysing the political climate, security risks, media environment and levels of gender and disability inclusion. The report offered 66 recommendations to strengthen electoral credibility, voter access and institutional preparedness.

The EU-SDGN is an EU-funded, civil society-led initiative working to promote credible, inclusive and peaceful elections across Nigeria, with partners advancing peacebuilding, media professionalism, women’s political participation, data-driven observation and disability-inclusive electoral processes.

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