The European Union Delegation to Nigeria and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has dismissed reports that it declined an invitation from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to observe Nigeria’s 2027 general elections.
Reacting to local press reports alleging that the EU had written to INEC rejecting an invitation to observe the elections, citing worsening insecurity across Nigeria and alleged hostile treatment of EU observers and officials, the EU stated that it has, in fact, accepted the invitation and will deploy an Electoral Expert Mission (EEM) comprising between two and four independent experts to Nigeria for the 2027 elections.
The EU Delegation described those reports as inaccurate and said that the two reasons cited in the reports were not contained in its correspondence with INEC.
According to the EU Delegation, INEC formally invited the European Union to deploy an electoral mission for the 2027 general elections in a letter dated April 17, 2026.
The EU responded on July 28, 2026, thanking INEC for the invitation and informed the electoral commission that the bloc would deploy an Electoral Expert Mission.
The EU stressed that the decision represents a continuation of its engagement with Nigeria’s democratic and electoral institutions rather than a withdrawal from the country’s electoral process.
The EU said that an Electoral Expert Mission, like a conventional Electoral Observation Mission, would assess whether Nigeria’s electoral process is conducted in accordance with relevant international, regional and national obligations and commitments relating to democratic elections.
The mission will also prepare a final report containing recommendations aimed at improving Nigeria’s electoral framework and future electoral processes.
According to the EU Delegation, the report will be shared with the Nigerian government and may subsequently be released to the wider public if the government agrees.
The mission’s mandate therefore extends beyond observing voting day. It is designed to examine broader elements of the electoral process and identify areas where Nigeria’s electoral framework and administration could be strengthened.
GIK/APA