IPAC Deploys Election Observer Mission Team To Liberia.
By Caroline Ameh
The Inter-Party Advisory Council of Nigeria (IPAC) has taken a significant step towards promoting democracy on the African continent by dispatching an Election Observer Mission Team to Liberia. The team’s primary objective is to closely monitor the general elections scheduled for Tuesday, October 10, in Liberia.
Chinyere Oge-kalu, the National Publicity Secretary of IPAC, officially announced this development in a statement from Abuja. The observer team is composed of Nigerian political party leaders who have already arrived in Monrovia, the capital of Liberia. The delegation is being led by Sani Yabagi, the Council’s National Chairman.
Among the notable members of the observer team mentioned by Oge-Kalu are Muhammed Nalado, the National Chairman of the Accord Party, Chief Ralf Nwosu of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), and Hajiya Zainab Ibrahim, Deputy National Women Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The primary purpose of this mission is to ensure that democratic processes and principles are rigorously followed during the Liberian elections, ultimately contributing to a positive outcome that will further solidify democracy on the African continent.
In her statement, Oge-Kalu emphasized the global significance of this mission, especially in light of recent concerns about efforts by undemocratic forces to reverse the democratic progress made in the West African subregion. She stated, “The presidential election taking place on Tuesday, Oct. 10 in Liberia has attracted more than a passing interest of the international community of democrats like the IPAC.”
Highlighting the importance of the mission, former President Goodluck Jonathan is leading the African Elders Forum and other prominent regional bodies to observe the Liberian elections.
Sani Yabagi, speaking to journalists upon the team’s arrival in Monrovia, urged Liberians to view the election as an opportunity to reignite their faith in democracy not only in Liberia but across the African continent. Yabagi, as the chairman of the largest organization of political parties in Africa, expressed his expectation that this election would strengthen democratic principles in West Africa and the entire African continent.
The IPAC observer mission team is set to return to Nigeria on October 11, following their mission in Liberia. Notably, more than 2.4 million Liberian voters are expected to participate in the elections, choosing a new president and members of the legislature.
The presidential race features 19 candidates, including the incumbent President George Weah of the Coalition of Democratic Change (CDC), who is seeking a second six-year term. The two primary challengers are former Vice President Joseph Boakai and businessman Alexander Cummings. However, the four-party opposition alliance, the Coalition of Political Parties (CPP), which initially supported these challengers, has disbanded due to disagreements over the presidential ticket.
Tiawan Gongloe, from the Liberian People’s Party, is also running—a renowned human rights lawyer and professor of law who previously served as the country’s solicitor general during the Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf administration. Johnson-Sirleaf made history as Africa’s first elected female leader in 2006, but women’s inclusivity in politics remains a challenge in many parts of the continent, including Liberia.
President Weah, confident in his prospects, has asserted that he will secure outright victory in the first round of elections. He has been in office since 2017, and the outcome of the upcoming elections will be closely watched by both domestic and international observers.
