Frank Asiedu Bekoe
An aide to the Chief of Staff, Frank Asiedu Bekoe aka Protozoa, is part of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) election officials going to observe the Nigerian elections.
“ECOWAS has the honour to inform the High Commissioner that the presidential election in the Federal Republic of Nigeria is scheduled to be held on February 25, 2023. According to the provision of the ECOWAS supplementary protocol on Democracy and Good Governance, the Commission would like to extend an invitation to the Director, Political Affairs at the Chief of Staff’s Office to join the observation team,” the statement read.
Dr. Mohamed Ibn Chambas and Dr. Emmanuel Akwetey will join the former President of South Africa, Thabo Mbeki, and another team of Commonwealth election observers to witness the polls following an invitation from Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The mandate of the groups, which are independent and impartial, is to observe the preparations for the election, the polling, counting, and the results collation process, and the overall electoral environment.
The observers will also assess the conduct of the process as a whole and, where appropriate, make recommendations for the strengthening of the electoral system in Nigeria.
Nearly 100 million people will vote to choose the successor to President Muhammadu Buhari, who steps down after two terms, as Nigeria struggles with widespread insecurity and economic malaise.
Nigerians will have the right to cast ballots for presidential and national assembly candidates in 176,846 polling units across 774 local government areas. Two of the three candidates considered front runners in Nigeria’s February 25 presidential elections are former vice president Atiku Abubakar and former Anambra state governor Peter Obi.
Among the 18 candidates running for president, former Lagos state governor Bola Ahmed Tinubu joins Abubakar and Obi as front runners.
BY Prince Fiifi Yorke