The European Union (EU) has deployed 687 observers to monitor Saturday’s governorship election in Anambra State, reaffirming its commitment to credible, peaceful, and inclusive elections in Nigeria.
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‎In a statement on Thursday, the EU said the deployment is being carried out under the EU Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria (EU-SDGN) programme, which works with civil society partners to promote electoral integrity, gender and disability inclusion, peacebuilding, and the fight against misinformation.
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‎Seven of the 16 EU-SDGN implementing partners, including 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 on ground in Anambra.
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‎According to the EU, the partners are operating from a Unified Election Observation Hub to ensure coherence, message alignment, and shared visibility during the polls.
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‎“The key feature of this unified deployment is to obtain a broad view of the election by utilising the diverse skills and experience of the EU-SDGN partners, analyse the findings, and compile them into a comprehensive report that will be made public,” the statement said.
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‎The EU described the exercise as one of the most extensive civil society-led observer deployments ever recorded for a state election in Nigeria, with each cluster focusing on election integrity, disability inclusion, gender participation, peacebuilding, media and misinformation tracking, logistics observation, and real-time data reporting.
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‎It said the coordinated effort aims to produce a unified, evidence-based assessment of the entire process, enhancing public confidence in the credibility of the poll.
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‎Earlier this week, the EU-SDGN programme supported the signing of the Anambra Election Peace Accord by all candidates and political parties. The EU cohort noted that the accord marks “the beginning of responsibility,” urging candidates to act peacefully and respect the will of voters.
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‎Ahead of the election, the EU-SDGN also presented a Joint Pre-Election Assessment Report, analysing the political climate, security environment, media space, and inclusion levels, and offering 66 actionable recommendations to strengthen voter access, institutional preparedness, and overall electoral credibility.
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‎The EU-SDGN, an EU-funded civil society-led initiative, continues to support credible, inclusive, and peaceful elections across Nigeria through its diverse implementing partners.