Commonwealth observers are today watching as the voting takes place across Nigeria and millions of people head out to elect their presidential and national assembly representatives.
According to the country’s Independent National Electoral Commission, more than 93.4 million voters have registered to cast ballots in today’s elections, Africa’s largest democratic exercise.
The Chairperson of the Commonwealth Observer Group, former President of South Africa H.E. Thabo Mbeki, speaking at the opening of polling stations in Abuja, encouraged all eligible voters to express their will through the ballot box.
Commonwealth election observation teams are in Benue, Edo, Kano, Lagos, Ondo, Rivers and Sokoto states as well as the Federal Capital Territory, where they are observing voting, counting and results processing at polling stations and counting centres.
The mandate of the independent and impartial group is to assess the organisation and conduct of the elections as well as compliance with the democratic standards and principles to which Nigeria has committed itself.
An interim statement, which provides the group’s preliminary assessment of the electoral process, will be delivered by the Chairperson at a press conference on 27 February in Abuja. This will be followed by an extensive final report covering all observations of the group.
The Commonwealth Observer Group has been in Nigeria since 18 February. Since its arrival, the group has heard electoral authorities, political parties, the media and civil society groups representing women, youth and people with disabilities, as well as resident high commissioners from Commonwealth countries.
Media contact
- Snober Abbasi Senior Communications Officer, Communications Division, Commonwealth Secretariat
- T: +442077476168 | E-mail
