The European Union (EU) has announced the deployment of 687 election observers to Anambra State ahead of Saturday’s governorship election. The initiative falls under its Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria (EU-SDGN) programme.
According to the EU, the deployment aims to strengthen civil society oversight, promote peacebuilding, enhance gender and disability inclusion, counter misinformation, and build public confidence in Nigeria’s democratic process.
In a statement issued in Abuja, the EU revealed that seven of its 16 implementing partners — The Kukah Centre, Yiaga Africa, International Press Centre, Centre for Media and Society, Nigeria Women Trust Fund, ElectHER, and TAF Africa — have already been deployed and are fully operational across Anambra State.“
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, analysing the findings, and compiling them into a comprehensive report that will be made public and available to all stakeholders.“
In total, the programme is deploying 687 observers across Anambra State, working in coordinated clusters that cover election integrity, disability inclusion, gender participation, peacebuilding, media and misinformation tracking, logistics observation, and real-time data reporting.“
This is one of the most extensive civil society-led observer deployments ever recorded for a state election in Nigeria.“
Each cluster is collecting evidence from a different angle. When those findings are merged, they offer a fuller, verifiable picture of the election that no single organisation could produce alone,” the statement read.
The observers will monitor various thematic areas, including election integrity and results verification, disability inclusion through trained observers and sign language interpreters, and gender participation, focusing on women-related issues. Other clusters will handle media and misinformation tracking with journalists and fact-checkers, peacebuilding and conflict prevention, as well as logistics monitoring and distribution of sensitive election materials.
Earlier in the week, the EU-SDGN programme supported the signing of the Anambra Election Peace Accord, involving all candidates and political parties.“
The Peace Accord is not the conclusion, but the beginning of responsibility,” the cohort affirmed. “Candidates must not only sign for peace, but act peacefully and respect the will of the voters.”
Ahead of the poll, the EU-SDGN also released a Joint Pre-Election Assessment Report, which evaluated the political atmosphere, security situation, media environment, and levels of gender and disability inclusion. The report presented 66 actionable recommendations aimed at improving electoral credibility, voter access, and institutional preparedness.
The EU-SDGN is an EU-funded, civil society-led initiative designed to promote credible, inclusive, and peaceful elections throughout Nigeria.
Meanwhile, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has reaffirmed its readiness for the Anambra governorship election scheduled for Saturday, November 8, 2025. Voting will take place in the 5,718 wards across the state.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, speaking during a stakeholders’ meeting in Awka, disclosed that about 24,000 ad hoc staff would be deployed, while 540 journalists have been accredited to cover the election. He reiterated the commission’s commitment to conducting a credible and inclusive poll.
According to INEC, 16 candidates representing 16 political parties will contest in the election, as they seek to unseat the incumbent governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, who is running for re-election on the platform of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).
