ADDIS ABABA, Feb. 15 (Xinhua) -- The African Union (AU) said Friday its Electoral Observation Mission (AU-EOM) to Nigeria's upcoming general elections comprises 50 members.
The observer mission, led by former Ethiopian prime minister Hailemariam Desalegn, held its final round of meetings on Friday with stakeholders in the Nigerian general elections, which is scheduled to take place the next day.
"Since the mission's deployment, Desalegn has been receiving updates from various stakeholders including political parties, the electoral commission, civil society, government officials and other observer groups," an AU statement reads.
The 50-member AU delegation includes AU Commissioner for Political Affairs Minata Samate Cessouma and other high-profile personalities.
The deployment of the delegation followed an invitation by the Nigerian government and the west African country's electoral commission, and as part of the AU's mandate and commitment to supporting credible, transparent and inclusive electoral processes across the continent, the AU said.
The Nigeria Independent National Electoral Commission said last month that more than 84 million Nigerians have registered to vote in the general elections, representing about 42 percent of the country's population.
A total of 73 presidential candidates are vying to take Nigeria's top job.
