Africa sends a powerful signal to Uganda, puts Jonathan in charge

Former Nigerian President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan has arrived in Kampala, Uganda, to lead a joint election observation mission by the African Union, the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) and the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) ahead of the country’s general elections scheduled for January 15.

Jonathan arrived early Sunday as head of the combined AU–COMESA–IGAD Election Observation Mission (EOM), tasked with assessing the conduct of the polls in the Republic of Uganda.

A joint arrival statement issued by the three organisations in Kampala said Jonathan would be supported by Ambassador Shemsudin Ahmed Roble, a member of the COMESA Committee of Elders, and Commander Abebe Muluneh Beyene of IGAD.

The statement said the mission is made up of 84 short-term observers drawn from ambassadors accredited to the African Union, officials of election management bodies, civil society organisations, election experts, human rights specialists, gender and media experts, as well as representatives of youth organisations.

“The Mission shall interact with state authorities, including the Electoral Commission of Uganda, political parties, the media, civil society organisations and representatives of the international community based in Uganda, as well as other election observation missions,” the statement said.

According to the organisations, the observers were drawn from more than 25 African countries, including Algeria, Botswana, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, Djibouti, Eswatini, Ethiopia, The Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Mauritius, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

The statement added that the observers would be deployed across all regions of Uganda to monitor election-day procedures, including the opening of polls, voting, closing and counting processes at polling stations.

It noted that the mission would assess the elections based on Uganda’s legal framework, the OAU/AU Declaration on the Principles Governing Democratic Elections, the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance (ACDEG), and the International Declaration of Principles for International Election Observation.

In a letter inviting Jonathan to lead the mission, the African Union Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, Bankole Adeoye, said the former president was selected in recognition of his strong Pan-African credentials, commitment to democracy and proven leadership in advancing credible and peaceful electoral processes on the continent.

The African Union expressed confidence that Jonathan’s leadership would strengthen the credibility of the observation mission and contribute to democratic consolidation and electoral integrity in Uganda and across Africa.

The development was disclosed in a statement issued by Ikechukwu Eze, Special Adviser to Dr. Jonathan.