Jonathan departs Abuja Saturday to lead AU, COMESA election mission to Zimbabwe
Former President Goodluck Jonathan leaves Abuja for Harare on Saturday to observe Zimbabwe’s general elections, scheduled for August 23.
Mr Jonathan would lead a joint observer mission of the Africa Union (AU) and Common Market for East and Southern Africa (COMESA) for the states.
This is contained in a statement by the AU Commission chairperson, Moussa Mahamat, on Friday in Abuja.
The joint AU-COMESA team, according to Mr Mahamat, is composed of 73 short-term observers and three core teams of electoral experts, who would be involved in the election observation activities from August 16 to August 29 in Zimbabwe.
He said the AU and COMESA election observer mission aimed to provide accurate and impartial reporting or assessment of the quality of the harmonised elections.
According to Mr Mahamat, this includes observing the degree to which the conduct of the elections meets regional, continental and international standards for democratic elections.
It will be the fourth time Mr Jonathan will lead an AU election observation mission since 2016, having led the continental body’s missions to Tanzania, Mozambique and Zambia.
“The observer team is expected to offer recommendations for improvement of future elections based on the findings; demonstrate AU’s solidarity and support towards Zimbabwe’s election and democratisation process to ensure that the conduct of democratic, credible and peaceful elections contributes to the consolidation of democratic governance, peace and stability in the country,” he said.
The AU chairperson also said the joint AU-COMESA EOM would engage with several stakeholders and observe the final preparations and polling process.
Mr Mahamat added that the observer mission would issue its preliminary statement after the election date.
The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission and the government recently invited local and international observers to the country’s polls.
International observer missions, including the European Union and the Carter Center, have already deployed their teams to observe the country’s elections.
(NAN)
We have recently deactivated our website's comment provider in favour of other channels of distribution and commentary. We encourage you to join the conversation on our stories via our Facebook, Twitter and other social media pages.
More from Peoples Gazette
Agriculture
FG tasks ECOWAS on leveraging financing strategies for agroecology
The federal government has urged stakeholders in the agriculture and finance sectors in the West Africa region to leverage financing strategies to enhance agroecology practices
Politics
Katsina youths pledge to deliver over 2 million votes to Atiku
“Katsina State is Atiku’s political base because it is his second home.”
States
Police advise Nigerian youths to be honest in life
The police command in Enugu has advised Nigerian youths to shun crimes, saying honesty is the surest path to lasting success.
Agriculture
Bandits kidnap farmers in Ondo
Two farmers had been kidnapped by bandits at the Oke-Ifira/Idogun forest axis of Akoko South-East council area of Ondo.
Politics
56 councillors file lawsuit against Anambra govt over two-year tenure
Fifty-six serving councillors filed a suit challenging the constitutional validity of the two-year tenure of local government officials.
Education
FG lauds Kano govt for dedicating 32% of budget to education
The Kano government allocated a historic N405 billion out of its N1.36 trillion proposed budget for the 2026 fiscal year to the education sector.
Economy
NUPRC Bid: Nigeria warns 2025 licensing round winners against delaying exploration
The government urged the bidders to develop the assets rather than treat the licences as investment trophies or merely use them to seek technical or financial partners.
Economy
Nigeria cannot tackle housing deficit without insurance protection: Heirs
Heirs General Insurance has urged policymakers, developers and other stakeholders to make insurance protection a central part of Nigeria’s housing agenda.
