The European Union Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS has rejected media report suggesting that the delegation had declined an invitation from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to observe the 2027 polls in Nigeria.
The Delegation dismissed the report as “pure speculations.”
In a statement signed by the EU ambassador to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Gautier Mignot, the Delegation confirmed it received a formal invitation from the INEC, dated 17 April 2026, to deploy observers for the 2027 General Elections. It however, responded on 28 July 2026, thanking “the INEC for its kind invitation and informed that the EU will field an Electoral Expert Mission (EEM), composed of two to four independent experts, who will formally be accredited as observers with the INEC.”
It liked an EEM, to an Electoral Observation Mission, which “assesses whether the electoral process is conducted in line with international, regional and national obligations and commitments on the conduct of democratic elections to which the country has subscribed.”
It also “submits a final report with recommendations on how to improve the electoral framework and future electoral processes, (and the) report will be shared with the government, and if they agree, it can also be released to the wider public.”
The EU Delegation further underlines that the two alleged reasons: “the worsening security situation across the country and the hostile treatment of its observers and officials after the publication of its final report on the 2023 general election” mentioned in the press reports “do not appear in the letter.”
“These are pure speculations,” the EU statement said.
It further explained that “the European Union decides every year on electoral missions to be sent to partner countries issuing invitations to the EU and, if the decision is positive, the kind of mission to be sent to each of them, depending on individual situations and available resources.”
It was on this basis that the decision to conduct an EEM in Nigeria was been taken and will further consult with the relevant Nigerian authorities for its implementation, it emphasised.
“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 dimension of support to the electoral process.
“The EU Delegation respectfully reminds members of the esteemed media community that, to avoid issuing such misleading information about positions or statements of the EU, they can simply check their accuracy with the press and communication office of the EU Delegation.”
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