International Observers in Place to Monitor Nigeria's Elections

Election observer missions are in place as Nigerians prepare to vote on February 25 for President and National Assembly. Nigeria's Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has approved a number of delegations from international organisations, Premium Times reports, including the African Union, Commonwealth, ECOWAS and European Union. Among the approved 22 foreign organisations are the African Bar Association, All Nigerian Nationals in Diaspora, Americas Empowerment Institute INC, Australia High Commission, British High Commission, Canadian Embassy, Democrat Union of Africa (DUA), Embassy of Antigua & Barbuda, European Union.

“This election is vital for Africa - and for U.S., European and other interests - not least because of the urgency of stabilizing Nigeria," two analysts write in a commentary published by the U.S. Institute for Peace (USIP) in Washington, DC.

A 40-member delegation from 20 countries headed by former Malawi President Joyce Banda was organised by the International Republican Institute (IRI) and the National Democratic Institute, two U.S. government funded nonpartisan, nongovernmental organizations. The  Commonwealth Observer Group to Nigeria, headed by former South African President Thabo Mbeki, includes 16 eminent persons from around the Commonwealth, including politicians, diplomats and experts in law, human rights, gender equality and election administration.

This article originally appeared on AllAfrica.

Image via Al Jazeera.