The European Union Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS has denied reports that it declined an invitation from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to observe Nigeria’s 2027 general elections.
The EU Delegation, in a statement issued in Abuja on Monday, described the reports as inaccurate and said they were based on speculation.
The clarification followed reports that the EU had written to INEC declining to deploy an electoral observation mission for the 2027 elections, allegedly citing worsening insecurity in the country and hostile treatment of its observers and officials following the release of its final report on the 2023 general elections.
The EU Ambassador to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Gautier Mignot, said the reports did not reflect the contents of the correspondence exchanged between the EU Delegation and INEC.
According to him, INEC formally invited the EU on April 17, 2026, to deploy observers for the 2027 elections.
He said the EU, in its response dated July 28, thanked INEC for the invitation and informed the electoral commission that it would deploy an Electoral Expert Mission (EEM), comprising between two and four independent experts.
The experts, he said, would be formally accredited as observers by INEC.
“An EEM, like an Electoral Observation Mission, 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,” the statement quoted the EU as saying.
The mission would also submit a final report containing recommendations on improving Nigeria’s electoral framework and future electoral processes.
The EU said the report would be shared with the Nigerian government and could be released to the wider public if the government agreed.
Mignot stressed that neither insecurity nor alleged hostile treatment of EU observers and officials after the 2023 elections was cited in the July 28 letter as a reason for the type of mission being deployed in 2027.
“The two alleged reasons mentioned in the press reports do not appear in the letter: these are pure speculations,” the EU said.
The delegation explained that the EU reviews electoral missions to partner countries annually and determines whether to deploy a mission and, where applicable, the type of mission to be sent, based on the circumstances of each country and available resources.
It said the decision to conduct an EEM in Nigeria was made on that basis and would be further discussed with relevant Nigerian authorities.
The EU also said the decision had no impact on the continuation of its support for Nigeria’s electoral process.
“In particular, 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 statement said.
The EU Delegation urged journalists to verify reports concerning its positions or statements directly with its press and communication office to avoid disseminating misleading information.
The statement was signed by Ambassador Mignot.
