The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the African Union (AU) have strengthened their electoral partnership as Nigeria steps up preparations for the 2027 general elections. The development followed a courtesy visit by an AU Pre-Election and Needs Assessment Mission to INEC, according to a statement via the Commission’s X……
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the African Union (AU) have strengthened their electoral partnership as Nigeria steps up preparations for the 2027 general elections.
The development followed a courtesy visit by an AU Pre-Election and Needs Assessment Mission to INEC, according to a statement via the Commission’s X handle, on Tuesday, September 15.
The delegation was led by Demeke Mekonnen, Head of Mission and former Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia, and was received by INEC Acting Chairman, Professor Rhoda Gumus, who represented the Commission’s Chairman, Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan, SAN.
The visit is part of the AU’s pre-election and needs assessment mission to Nigeria scheduled for September 13 to 19, 2026.
Speaking during the engagement, Mekonnen said the mission was aimed at assessing Nigeria’s electoral preparedness, identifying possible gaps and recommending measures to support credible and successful elections.
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He said the AU was particularly interested in voter registration, electoral technology, logistics, funding, inclusion, transparency, electoral disputes, security and result management.
Mekonnen stressed the importance of the pre-election phase, saying credible voter registration, transparent processes and public confidence were critical to the success of the electoral process.
“We want to facilitate support and identify gaps, and for possible remedies and corrections for the successful election process,” he said.
Responding, Gumus welcomed the delegation and described the mission as timely and significant to Nigeria’s democratic development.
She said INEC and the AU shared a commitment to democratic standards, institutional integrity and credible electoral governance across Africa.
According to the Acting Chairman, INEC is preparing for the 2027 elections on an unprecedented scale, with the voter population approaching 100 million, 176,846 polling units and more than 1.4 million personnel expected to be involved in the exercise.
Gumus said recent off-cycle elections had also enabled the Commission to test electoral reforms introduced under the new legal framework.
She highlighted the deployment of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), result viewing through the IReV portal and inter-agency security coordination as some of the measures being used to strengthen election administration.
The Acting Chairman also disclosed that INEC was working with the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) through the Continuous Voter Registration Portal to audit, verify and clean the voter register.
However, she acknowledged that Nigeria’s size and complexity continued to pose technological, logistical and political challenges to election management.
“Electoral integrity is a multi-sectoral endeavour, and international technical support remains vital to bridging operational gaps,” Gumus said.
She identified several areas where AU technical assistance could support the Commission, including digital training for ad-hoc personnel, e-learning tools, ICT simulations, election-monitoring systems and measures to counter disinformation.
Gumus also called for support in tackling emerging threats such as AI-generated deepfakes and strengthening strategic communication ahead of the elections.
She further sought assistance in improving inclusion and gender-mainstreaming frameworks for persons with disabilities, internally displaced persons, women and other underrepresented groups.
Gumus assured the AU delegation that INEC would maintain transparency and cooperation as it engages political parties, civil society organisations, security agencies, media executives and development partners during the assessment mission.
She reaffirmed the Commission’s commitment to independence, neutrality and professionalism, stressing that its administrative decisions would be guided by the law.
According to her, the outcome of the 2027 general elections would ultimately reflect the sovereign will of Nigerian voters.
