Following the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC’s)
decision to postpone the 2019 General Elections, the international and
local observers for the polls met on Saturday, at Transcorp Hilton
Hotel, Abuja.
Observer team, AU Observer team and ECOWAS Observer mission, and others,
lasted for about an hour.
Some of the leaders of the local observer groups sighted by newsmen
included Mr Clement Nwankwo, Convener, the Nigeria Civil Society
Situation Room and Ms. Idayat Hassan, Director, Centre for Democracy and
Development (CDD). Others were Mr Auwal Musa-Rafsanjani, Executive
Director, Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) and Mr
Samson Itodo, Executive Director, YIAGA AFRICA, among others.
Shortly after the meeting, correspondents approached the Head, ECOWAS
Election Observation Mission and former Liberian President, Mrs Ellen
Johnson-Sirleaf, on what the meeting was all about and her reaction to
the election postponement.
Johnson-Sirleaf, however, declined to comment saying that newsmen would
be briefed later. “I cannot say anything now. We are still on talks. I
will brief you later,” she said.