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2015 Elections: Commonwealth Observers Will Not Go To North-East

The Commonwealth observer mission to Nigeria’s general elections says it would not deploy any observer to north-east Nigeria despite the progress made by the Federal … Continue reading 2015 Elections: Commonwealth Observers Will Not Go To North-East


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commonwealthThe Commonwealth observer mission to Nigeria’s general elections says it would not deploy any observer to north-east Nigeria despite the progress made by the Federal Government to restore security in the region.

The Chairperson of the group and former President of Malawi, Dr Bakili Muluzi, said that the Commonwealth mission would not take any risks, but get the information required from other bigger observer groups, as the security situation there remains a challenge.

Dr Muluzi said that the Observer Group would deploy its members across the country to witness the conclusion of the election campaigns, observe voting, counting, results, check the conditions available for credible elections and freedom for voters to exercise their franchise.

The Commonwealth Observer Group to Nigeria for the elections, starting this weekend is a high-powered 10-man delegation; consisting mainly of current and former African leaders and lawmakers, serving members of National Electoral Commissions from around Africa, led by the former President of Malawi, Dr Bakili Muluzi.

Dr Muluzi told a news conference in Abuja that their duty is only to observe and make recommendations towards improving democracy in Commonwealth nations.

He also said that observers would not take the risk of going into the north east where the Nigerian military is still battling the insurgents.

The Commonwealth Observer Group has a mandate to observe and consider the various factors affecting the credibility of the electoral process and determine whether the elections is conducted according to the standards for democratic elections.

This will be done alongside other observer missions such as ECOWAS, European Union and the National Democratic Institute.