Addis Ababa, 21 March 2015: Following an invitation from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Nigeria, the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, approved the deployment of an African Union Election Observation Mission (AUEOM) to the general elections in Nigeria, which were originally scheduled for 14 April 2015 but later postponed to 28 March 2015.
The African Union launched its election observation mission in Nigeria on 2 February 2015 with the deployment of 14 Long-Term Observers (LTOs) drawn from 14 African countries. The LTOs were later withdrawn on 23 February following the postponement of the elections. They were again redeployed on 14 March and will remain in the country until 16 April to follow the presidential and state elections scheduled for 28 March and 11 April, respectively.
The LTOs will be joined by 70 Short-Term Observers on 21-22 March drawn from various African countries and the Pan-African Parliament to complement the work of the LTOs on Election Day.
The AU Mission to Nigeria is led by H.E. Amos Sawyer, former Interim President of the Republic of Liberia and assisted by H.E. Mr. Ibrahima Fall, former UN Under Secretary-General for Political Affairs and former Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Senegal. The Mission's mandate is derived from the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance; the 2002 AU/OAU Declaration on Principles Governing Democratic Elections in Africa; and the 2002 AU Guidelines for Elections Observation and Monitoring Missions.
The assessment and observations of the Mission will be guided by the principles and guidelines stated in these instruments, and other relevant international instruments guiding international election observation and the legal framework for elections in the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
The Mission will issue a statement of its preliminary assessment of the elections on 29 March 2015 at a press conference in Abuja. For more information, please contact the Mission Coordinators, Mr. Samuel Atuobi at: atuobis@africa-union.org or Tel: +2348092974586 or Mr. Idrissa Kamara, Email: Kamarai@africa-union.org; Tel: + 234 8092949266.
