UGANDA DECIDES: Ex-Nigeria President to Lead AU, COMESA & IGAD Election Observation Mission

The African Union (AU), the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) and the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) have jointly deployed an Election Observation Mission (EOM) to Uganda ahead of the January 15, 2026 General Elections.

In a joint arrival statement issued on Friday, the three regional bodies announced that the AU–COMESA–IGAD Election Observation Mission is in the country at the invitation of the Government of Uganda and the Electoral Commission.

The mission is led by former Nigerian President, H.E. Goodluck Jonathan, and is assisted by Ambassador Shemsudin Ahmed Roble of the COMESA Committee of Elders and Commander Abebe Muluneh Beyene from IGAD.

According to the statement, the mission comprises 84 short-term observers drawn from a diverse pool that includes ambassadors accredited to the African Union, officials of election management bodies, civil society representatives, election experts, human rights specialists, gender and media experts, as well as youth representatives.

The observers hail from across the continent, 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 mission will deploy teams across all regions of Uganda to observe key election-day processes, including the opening of polling stations, voting, closing, and the counting of ballots.

The AU–COMESA–IGAD EOM said its assessment will be guided by 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.

During its stay, the mission will engage with state authorities, the Electoral Commission, political parties, the media, civil society organisations, the international community and other election observer missions operating in the country.

A preliminary statement on the conduct of the elections is expected to be released on January 17, 2026, during a press conference in Kampala. A final and comprehensive report will be published within one month after the announcement of final election results.

The mission’s secretariat is based at the Protea Skyz Hotel in Kampala.