Austrian Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr Peter Guschelbauer, has disclosed the plan of the European Union Election Observers to monitor the 15th August Osun governorship election in line with its tradition of encouraging compliance with democratic norms.
Guschelbauer, according to a release yesterday by the Osun State governor’s spokesperson, Mallam Olawale Rasheed, spoke at the Government House, Osogbo, over the weekend during a courtesy visit to Governor Ademola Adeleke.
He was said to have said that the EU was interested in the entrenchment of democratic practices through free and fair elections.
Guschelbauer said the EU hopes the Osun election will be conducted in compliance with Nigerian national electoral laws, especially as the Osun polls are a prelude to Nigeria’s general elections in 2027.
The smbassador, accompanied by the embassy’s political adviser, commended the governor for instituting good governance and charged all political actors to play by the rules in the interest of subnational stability and national prosperity.
While reiterating how dear Osun is to the Austrian state, the Ambassador pointed to the deep cultural connection between the Austrian state and Osun Osogbo groove, promising that his country is interested in cultural preservation, tourism exchanges, and deeper business partnerships between Austrian companies and their Osun counterparts.
Governor Adeleke, while welcoming the Ambassador, particularly urged the European Union to take special interest in the forthcoming Osun state election, noting that “the observer intervention of the European Union will strengthen compliance with democratic practices and the electoral act for free and fair polls.
