The European Union has deployed 687 election observers to Anambra State ahead of Saturday’s governorship poll, as part of its EU Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria (EU-SDGN) programme.
The deployment, announced in Abuja on Thursday, is one of the largest civil society–led observation efforts ever mounted for a state election in Nigeria. The EU said the observers will monitor election integrity, peacebuilding, gender and disability inclusion, misinformation, polling logistics, and real-time incident reporting across the state.
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Seven of the EU-SDGN implementing partners – including the Kukah Centre, Yiaga Africa, International Press Centre, Centre for Media and Society, Nigeria Women Trust Fund, ElectHER, and TAF Africa – are already active on ground.
“A key feature of this unified deployment is to obtain a broad view of the election by utilising the diverse skills and experiences of the EU-SDGN partners and compiling them into a comprehensive report to be made public,” the statement read.
The observers will work in coordinated thematic clusters, with sign language interpreters positioned for disability inclusion, journalists and fact-checkers tracking misinformation, and peacebuilding monitors working with community structures to help reduce tensions.
Earlier in the week, the EU-SDGN supported the signing of the Anambra Election Peace Accord involving candidates and political parties.
“The Peace Accord is not the conclusion, but the beginning of responsibility,” the partners said, urging candidates to “act peacefully and respect the will of the voters.”
Ahead of the vote, the EU-SDGN also released a Joint Pre-Election Assessment Report, analysing political competition, security conditions, media environment, and the levels of gender and disability inclusion. It issued 66 recommendations aimed at improving voter access and electoral credibility.
Meanwhile, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has reaffirmed full preparedness for the November 8 exercise. Speaking at a stakeholders meeting in Awka, INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, said the commission will deploy about 24,000 ad hoc staff and has accredited 540 journalists to cover the election.
Sixteen candidates are contesting in the election as incumbent governor Prof. Chukwuma Soludo of the All Progressives Grand Alliance seeks a second term.