The European Union Delegation to Nigeria and the Economic Community of West African States has dismissed reports suggesting that it rejected an invitation from the Independent National Electoral Commission to observe Nigeria’s 2027 general elections.
The EU Ambassador to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Gautier Mignot, said on Monday that reports insinuating that the bloc had declined INEC’s invitation were inaccurate and speculative.
Mignot explained that the EU received INEC’s invitation in April and subsequently informed the electoral commission of its decision to deploy an Electoral Expert Mission for the elections.
According to him, the planned mission will comprise between two and four independent electoral experts, rather than the larger-scale observation missions that the EU has deployed during some previous Nigerian elections.
The clarification followed reports suggesting that the EU had rejected INEC’s invitation and was withdrawing from Nigeria’s 2027 elections, with some reports further suggesting that the decision could mark an end to the bloc’s election-monitoring activities in Nigeria after about two decades.
The reports had attributed the alleged decision to concerns over security and what was described as hostile treatment of EU officials following the 2023 general elections.
However, Mignot rejected the suggestion that those reasons informed the EU’s decision, describing such claims as speculation.
He explained that the EU determines the nature and scale of its electoral missions on a case-by-case basis, taking into consideration the circumstances in individual partner countries and the resources available.
“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,” he said.
Mignot added that the decision to deploy an Electoral Expert Mission to Nigeria had been taken within that framework and that consultations with relevant Nigerian authorities would continue regarding its implementation.
“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.
The ambassador also specifically disputed the reasons cited in media reports for the deployment of the smaller team.
“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,” Mignot said.
He further stressed that the decision to deploy an Electoral Expert Mission should not be interpreted as a withdrawal of EU support for Nigeria’s democratic and electoral processes.
Mignot said the EU-funded Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria project would continue, including its component focused on supporting the country’s electoral process.
“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,” he added.
The clarification comes as Nigeria begins preparations for the 2027 general elections, with INEC expected to continue its engagement with political parties, civil society organisations, international partners and other stakeholders ahead of the polls.
The EU has previously participated in Nigeria’s electoral processes through different forms of election observation and technical engagement. Its latest clarification therefore seeks to distinguish the decision to deploy a smaller Electoral Expert Mission from any suggestion that the bloc is withdrawing from Nigeria’s electoral process.
