By Peter Omopo
Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire – Former Nigerian Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, has arrived in Abidjan to lead the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Election Observation Mission ahead of Côte d’Ivoire’s presidential election slated for October 25, 2025.
According to a statement released by ECOWAS on Tuesday, the deployment of the observer mission aligns with the 2001 ECOWAS Additional Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance, reaffirming the bloc’s commitment to peace, stability, and democratic consolidation in the region.
Osinbajo, who served as Nigeria’s Vice President from 2015 to 2023, heads a 187-member ECOWAS delegation, supported by 66 additional observers from the African Union (AU). The mission also includes 150 short-term observers, 22 youth observers from the pilot project “Integration of Young People into the ECOWAS Election Observation Mission,” and 15 long-term observers—a team of electoral experts who began their fieldwork on October 3 to monitor pre-election, election-day, and post-election developments.
The mission will work under the coordination of Baboucarr Blaise Ismaïla Jagne, former Gambian Foreign Minister, and Mahamat Saleh Annadif, former Chadian Foreign Minister.
Upon arrival, Osinbajo was received by Ambassador Abdel-Fatau Musah, ECOWAS Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, alongside the ECOWAS Resident Representative in Côte d’Ivoire, Fanta Cissé, and other officials.
In his remarks, Osinbajo expressed gratitude for the opportunity to lead the mission, describing it as “an honour to serve in support of democracy in a peaceful and welcoming West African nation.” He expressed optimism that the upcoming election would be conducted peacefully and in full adherence to regional and international democratic standards.
Osinbajo, a respected legal scholar and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, previously served as Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice of Lagos State from 1999 to 2007.
The October 25 presidential election in Côte d’Ivoire will see incumbent President Alassane Ouattara, aged 83, seek a controversial fourth term in office, a decision that has sparked mixed reactions across the country and within the subregion.
ECOWAS observers are expected to remain on the ground throughout the electoral process to ensure transparency, fairness, and credibility in the conduct and outcome of the polls.
