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Commonwealth Secretariat press release

Commonwealth to observe Nigerian National Assembly and Presidential Elections

8 February 1999

Sir Ketumile Masire, former President of Botswana, will lead a team of 23 Commonwealth Observers to the Nigerian National Assembly and Presidential Elections which are scheduled for 20 and 27 February 1999 respectively. The Observer Group is being sent in response to an invitation from the Nigerian Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar, and the Chairman of Nigeria's Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to the Commonwealth to observe the country's multi-stage electoral arrangements, commencing with the Local Government Council Elections held on 5 December 1998. A Commonwealth Secretariat team was also sent to the Governorship and State Assembly Elections held on 9 January 1999.

Following the encouraging response to the previous elections, Commonwealth Secretary-General Chief Emeka Anyaoku reiterated his belief that these elections will be a key step in the return to credible democratic rule of Africa's most populous nation. "I have been following closely the constant improvements being made by Nigeria's electoral machinery throughout the first phases of the elections," said the Secretary-General. "There is a clear commitment by INEC and indeed by the Nigerian people to reinforce democratic processes and to support a return to civilian rule."

The other members of the Observer Group are:

Mr George Iacovou
(Cyprus) (Deputy Chair)
Former ForeignMinister Mrs Grace Githu
(Kenya) Executive Director,
Institute for Education in Democracy

Ms Zainab Bangura
(Sierra Leone) Chair,
Campaign for Good Governance Ms Kamilia Dato' Ibrahim
(Malaysia)
Senator

Mr Andy Becker
(Australia) Deputy Electoral Commissioner
Australian Electoral Commission Mrs Jezima Ismail
(Sri Lanka)
Educationalist

Mr Hugh Cholmondeley
(Guyana) Former Chair,
Electoral Assistance Bureau Mr M I Abdool Rahman
(Mauritius)
Electoral Commissioner

Ms Carol Cuffy-Dowlat
(Trinidad & Tobago)
Senator Dr Maria Salomão
(Mozambique)
Member, National Elections Commission

Mr Steve Limpkin
(United Kingdom)
Head of Elections Section, Home Office Mr Kanimang Sanneh
(The Gambia)
Member, National Assembly

Mr Roger McClay
(New Zealand)
Commissioner for Children
Former Member of Parliament Mr Kwadwo Sarfo-Kantanka
(Ghana)
Deputy Chair, National Electoral Commission

Mrs Edna Madzongwe
(Zimbabwe)
Deputy Speaker Ms Sylvia Scriven
(The Bahamas)
Member, House of Assembly

Mrs Lindiwe Maseko
(South Africa)
Member, Gauteng Provincial Legislature Dr Ludwig Sondashi
(Zambia)
Member, National Assembly

Justice A S Msosa
(Malawi) Former Chair,
Electoral Commission Mr Anote Tong
(Kiribati)
Member, Legislative Assembly

Mr Bernard Narokobi
(Papua New Guinea)
Member of Parliament and Leader of the Opposition Mr Robert Patterson
(Canada)
Chief Electoral Officer, British Columbia

The Observer Group will be supported a Commonwealth Secretariat team led by Mr J P Sheppard, Director, Political Affairs Division.

Note to Editors:
Nigeria was suspended from the Commonwealth in 1995 after being deemed to be in serious and persistent violation of the principles contained in the Harare Commonwealth Declaration. However, dramatic changes have taken place in Nigeria since the assumption of office as Head of State by General Abdulsalami Abubakar in June 1998, following the death of General Sani Abacha. The Commonwealth and the wider international community have welcomed these changes and the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group on the Harare Declaration (CMAG) held a ministerial-level dialogue with the Nigerian Government on 9 October 1998. The Commonwealth Secretariat has been providing technical assistance to INEC which has the responsibility for organising and managing four elections planned to lead the country's full return to a democratically elected government on 29 May 1999.

Issued by the Information and Public Affairs Division, Commonwealth Secretariat,
Marlborough House,
Pall Mall,
London SW1Y 5HX,
United Kingdom.
Tel: 0207-839 3411;
Fax: 0207-839 9081;
Telex: 27678

99/09 8 February 1998

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Email: info@commonwealth.int