EU Clarifies Its Role in Observing Nigeria's 2027 Elections

The European Union Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS has denied claims that it turned down an invitation from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to observe Nigeria’s 2027 general elections.

The EU Ambassador to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Gautier Mignot, said in a statement on Monday that reports suggesting the EU rejected INEC’s invitation are wrong and based on speculation.

Mr Mignot confirmed that the EU received INEC's letter in April and replied, saying it would send Electoral Expert Missions for the election. This team will include two to four independent observers.

Some reports claimed that sending fewer than five observers showed the EU's reluctance to send a full mission. This led to some media saying the EU was pulling out of Nigeria’s 2027 election observation, ending its 20 years of election monitoring in the country.

These reports indicated that the EU declined INEC’s invitation, stating it would send a small team instead of a full observer group. They suggested this decision was due to increasing security concerns and negative treatment of its officials after the 2023 elections.

But in the statement, Mr Mignot clarified that the decision on the team for election observation was based on the current situation and available resources.

“The European Union decides every year on electoral missions to be sent to partner countries. We issue invitations to the EU and, if the decision is positive, we determine the kind of mission to be sent to each country based on their individual situations and available resources.

“It is on this basis that the decision to conduct an EEM in Nigeria has been taken and will be further consulted with the relevant Nigerian authorities for its implementation,” he said.

He also dismissed the reasons mentioned in the reports regarding the small team of observers. “The EU Delegation further underlines that the two alleged reasons mentioned in the press reports do not appear in the letter: these are pure speculations.

“This decision does not affect in any way the continuation of the implementation of the EU-funded project 'Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria,' including its support for the electoral process,” he added.