EU Civil Society Observers Deployed for Anambra State Governorship Election
The European Union has deployed 687 civil society election observers across Anambra State ahead of the upcoming governorship election. This initiative is part of the EU Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria (EU-SDGN) programme, aimed at ensuring credible, peaceful, and inclusive elections in the region.
Laolu Olawumi, Programme Manager, Democracy, Rule of Law and Gender at the EU Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS in Abuja, highlighted the significance of this deployment. He emphasized that it reflects the EU’s commitment to supporting democratic processes in Nigeria. According to him, the EU-SDGN programme enables its civil society partners to monitor the poll, strengthen peacebuilding, advance disability and gender inclusion, counter misinformation, and reinforce public confidence in the process.
Seven of the programme’s 16 implementing partners are already operating in the state from a Unified Election Observation Hub. These include The Kukah Centre, Yiaga Africa, International Press Centre (IPC), Centre for Media and Society (CEMESO), Nigeria Women Trust Fund (NWTF), ElectHER, and TAF Africa. The hub ensures coherence, message alignment, and shared visibility among the partners.
“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.”
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
- 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 noted that 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 analyzing 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. Its partners advance peacebuilding, media professionalism, women’s political participation, data-driven observation, and disability-inclusive electoral processes.