Publication:

African Union Election Observation Mission to the 23 February 2019 Presidential and National Assembly Elections in Nigeria.

Nigerians went to the polls on February 23, 2019 to elect their President and Members of the National Assembly. These were the sixth successive elections since the end of military rule and a return to multi-party democracy in 1999. The AU mission was led by His Excellency Hailemariam Desalegn Boshe, former Prime Minister of Ethiopia. At 84 Million, registered voters marked a 25% increase from the 2015 elections. Disappointingly, only 34.75% turned out to vote compared to 44% in the previous elections. Although there were seventy-three (73) candidates in the presidential race, the contest was largely considered to be between the two dominant parties, the PDP and APC. This report presents the final and overall assessment of the conduct of the February 23, 2019 elections.