Arrives

The Head of the Economic Community of West African States Election Observation Mission for Côte d’Ivoire’s upcoming presidential election, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, arrived in Abidjan on Monday afternoon to lead the regional bloc’s efforts in monitoring the polls scheduled for October 25. According to a statement issued by ECOWAS on Tuesday, “the deployment of this mission is part of the 2001 Additional Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance of ECOWAS and once again illustrates ECOWAS’ unwavering commitment to promoting peace, stability, and democratic consolidation within the community.” Osinbajo, who served as Vice President of Nigeria from May 2015 to May 2023, is at the helm of a large team of 187 ECOWAS observers. The statement also states that the delegation includes 66 additional observers from the African Union. Supporting him in this role are Baboucarr Blaise Ismaïla JAGNE, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of The Gambia, and Mahamat Saleh Annadif, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Chad. The statement added, “Among the ECOWAS observers are 150 short-term observers, 22 young observers from the pilot project “Integration of Young People into the ECOWAS Election Observation Mission” and 15 long-term observers, electoral experts with various profiles, who officially began their activities on Friday, October 3, in Abidjan, to monitor developments in the pre-election, election, and post-election processes.” Welcomed on his arrival in Abidjan by Ambassador Abdel-Fatau Musah, Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace, and Security of the ECOWAS Commission, the ECOWAS Resident Representative in Côte d’Ivoire, Fanta CISSE, among others. The statement further stated that Osinbajo expressed his happiness and honour at leading this mission to this peaceful and welcoming land in West Africa. He also expressed his hope that the ongoing process would proceed in a peaceful manner and in accordance with regional and international principles, norms, and standards. In addition to his tenure as Nigeria’s Vice President, Osinbajo previously served as Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice in Lagos State from 1999 to 2007. The presidential election in Côte d’Ivoire is scheduled for 25 October 2025. President Alassane Ouattara, age 83, announced that he will run for a fourth term in that election.