At the maiden weekly press briefing of the ECOWAS Commission in Abuja, Nigeria, on Wednesday, President of the ECOWAS Commission, Dr. Omar Alieu Touray, said the regional bloc spent over a million dollars to support the conduct of Nigeria’s 2023 general elections.
He said: “ECOWAS is one of the major partners of ECOWAS member states during elections and ECOWAS spends an average of $1million supporting member states during elections.
“We directly support election commissions, give grants and make sure the processes are observed and certified.
“Last year alone, you could recall the participation of ECOWAS in Nigeria’s election, the participation of ECOWAS in the parliamentary election in Senegal, participation of ECOWAS in Sierra Leone as well as Liberia.”
Touray explained that as a matter of policy, the regional body gives each ECOWAS member a grant of $500,000 to support the conduct of elections while also deploying observers and logistics which cost the regional bloc over $500,000 as well.
“In Nigeria, apart from observing the national elections, INEC invited us to observe the state elections. So, we spent over $1million supporting Nigeria in the 2023 general elections,” the President of the ECOWAS commission said.
“We have stabilization forces in the Gambia and Guinea Bissau while another mission is at the preparatory stage for Sierra Leone. These preventive deployments of regional stabilization forces are vital for the security and welfare of citizens and the community market.
“Only democratic governments can reasonably provide human liberty and dignity. We continue to maintain peace, and support missions in Member States where they are required,” he added.