The Economic Community of West African States has pledged short and long-term observation missions to Nigeria to oversee and monitor the February 25 and March 11 polls.
The decision was made at the Extra-Ordinary Summit of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government held in the margins of the 36th Ordinary Session of the African Union Assembly in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, according to Arise News.
The summit, chaired by the President of the Republic of Guinea-Bissau and Chair of ECOWAS Authority, Umar Sissico Embalo, was convened to examine the progress made with the transitions in Burkina Faso, Guinea, and Mali, as well as the level of preparations for elections in Nigeria, Sierra Leone, and Liberia.
The Summit also deliberated on the update on the establishment of a Regional Force against Terrorism and for the restoration of constitutional order, and a briefing on the outcome of the EU-ECOWAS Political Dialogue that took place in Brussels, from 6th to 7th February, 2023.
Concerning Nigeria, most of the talks were about the forthcoming general elections, even as the authority commended the government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria for the efforts deployed so far aimed at securing a secure environment for the peaceful conduct of the general elections.
The Heads of state and government, therefore, instructed the president of the commission to provide the necessary technical assistance in support of the general elections through the deployment of short and long-term observation missions.
