The European Union (EU) has announced the deployment of 687 observers to Anambra State ahead of the governorship election scheduled for Saturday, November 8, under its EU Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria (EU-SDGN) programme.
Through this initiative, the EU is enabling civil society partners to observe elections, strengthen peacebuilding, promote disability and gender inclusion, counter misinformation, and reinforce public trust in the democratic process.
A statement from the EU in Abuja highlighted that seven of the 16 EU-SDGN implementing partners—Kukah Centre, Yiaga Africa, International Press Centre, Centre for Media and Society, Nigeria Women Trust Fund, ElectHER, and TAF Africa—are already operational on the ground in Anambra.
“The main objective of this unified deployment is to gain a comprehensive understanding of the election by leveraging the diverse skills and expertise of the EU-SDGN partners, analyzing their findings, and producing a detailed report that will be made publicly available to all stakeholders,” the statement read.
The observers are organized into thematic clusters covering election integrity, disability inclusion, gender participation, peacebuilding, media and misinformation monitoring, logistics observation, and real-time data reporting. According to the EU, this marks one of the largest civil society-led election observer deployments ever in a Nigerian state.
“Each cluster collects evidence from a unique perspective. When combined, these findings provide a holistic, verifiable picture of the election that no single organisation could produce alone,” the statement added.
Observers will focus on several areas, including:
Election integrity and results verification
Disability inclusion, with trained observers and dedicated sign language interpreters
Gender participation, monitoring women-related election issues
Media and misinformation tracking, with journalists and fact-checkers deployed across polling stations
Peacebuilding and conflict prevention
Polling logistics and sensitive election material monitoring
Earlier this week, the EU-SDGN programme facilitated the signing of the Anambra Election Peace Accord, bringing together all candidates and political parties. “The Peace Accord is not the conclusion but the start of responsibility,” the programme stated. “Candidates must not only sign for peace but also act peacefully and respect the voters’ will.”
Additionally, the EU-SDGN programme released a Joint Pre-Election Assessment Report evaluating the political climate, security risks, media environment, and levels of gender and disability inclusion. The report included 66 actionable recommendations aimed at strengthening electoral credibility, voter access, and institutional preparedness.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has confirmed its readiness for Saturday’s governorship poll across the state’s 5,718 wards. INEC Chairman Prof. Joash Amupitan stated during a stakeholders meeting in Awka that approximately 24,000 ad hoc staff will be deployed, while about 540 journalists have been accredited to cover the election.
Sixteen candidates from 16 political parties are contesting the governorship, including the incumbent, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, who is seeking reelection.
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