The African Union has appointed former President Uhuru Kenyatta to head the 90-member election observation mission in Nigeria.
The African Union made the designation Tuesday during the launch of the African Union Election Observation Mission (AUEOM) ahead of Nigeria’s February 25 elections.
AUEOM will work with various stakeholders, oversee the pre-election voting process and deliver its opening statement on February 27 in Abuja.
“AUEOM is headed by His Excellency Uhuru Mugai Kenyatta, former President of the Republic of Kenya,” the organization said in a statement.
According to the African Union Commission, the 90 members involved in short-term election observation are from African Union member states.
These include representatives from EMFs and civil society organisations, independent experts, women and youth, and staff from African Union bodies, in particular the Pan-African Parliament and the Committee of Permanent Representatives.
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The mission draws its mandate from the various instruments of the African Union and is supported by experts from the African Union Commission.
Its goals include providing an accurate and unbiased assessment of the electoral process, including the extent to which elections are conducted according to regional, continental, and international standards for democratic elections.
It will also make recommendations to improve future elections based on the results and show the African Union’s solidarity and support for consolidating democracy, peace, stability and development in Nigeria.
This is Kenyatta’s second appointment since resigning in August last year. His successor, President William Ruto, had previously appointed him chairman of the East African Region (EAC) peace talks.
