Vice President Yemi Osinbajo will be leading the Commonwealth Observer Group (COG) to Sierra Leone to monitor the country’s upcoming general elections next month. A statement issued by the office of the Vice President on Friday, disclosed that the Secretary-General of The Commonwealth, the Rt. Hon Patricia Scotland (KC), had written to Professor Osinbajo, requesting him to lead the COG to the election.
The statement, however, confirmed that the Vice President had accepted the nomination and would be leading the team constituted by the international body. The Secretary-General constituted the observer group, a team of distinguished experts upon the invitation from the Electoral Commission for Sierra Leone for next month’s polls in the West African nation.
As the COG Chair, Osinbajo will be the leader and spokesperson of the Group of distinguished experts drawn from around the world, interfacing between the Group and the media, and the authorities of the host country, and also representing the Group at all official functions. The VP will also preside over meetings of the Group.
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In a public statement yesterday, the Secretary-General of The Commonwealth expressed gratitude “to His Excellency Prof. Yemi Osinbajo for accepting my invitation, to undertake this important area of our work in deepening democracy across our Commonwealth – despite his busy schedule and overseeing a seamless transition of his government.
“As a senior statesman from the region, H.E. Osinbajo understands in depth, the challenges across West Africa and I am confident he will lead a brilliant team”, she said. Responding, Prof. Osinbajo welcomed “the opportunity to lead the election observers in Sierra Leone on June 24, this year.
“I’m highly honoured by the unique opportunity to continue to bring my expertise and experience in contributing to deepening democracy especially in Africa and the Commonwealth by extension,” he said.