By Favour Ulebor
Abuja-The European Union delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS has dismissed reports claiming it rejected an invitation from the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to observe Nigeria’s 2027 general elections over security concerns and alleged hostility towards its observers.
In a statement yesterday, the EU Ambassador to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Gautier Mignot, described the reports as inaccurate and clarified that the EU had not declined INEC’s invitation but had instead informed the electoral body of its decision to deploy an Electoral Expert Mission, EEM, for the polls.
The clarification followed media reports alleging that the EU had declined an invitation to observe Nigeria’s 2027 elections due to security challenges and concerns arising from the aftermath of its observations of the 2023 general election.
According to the ambassador, the EU received a formal invitation from INEC on April 17, 2026, to observe the elections and responded on July 28, 2026, thanking the commission for the invitation and notifying it of its decision to field an Electoral Expert Mission made up of two to four independent experts.
Mignot explained that the experts would be formally accredited as observers by INEC and assess whether the electoral process complied with international, regional and national commitments on democratic elections.
He stated that the mission would prepare a final report containing recommendations aimed at improving Nigeria’s electoral framework and future electoral processes.
The ambassador stressed that claims suggesting the EU declined to send observers because of a worsening security situation or hostile treatment, following the publication of its 2023 election report, were false.
The statement read: “The EU delegation confirms that it received a formal invitation (not a request) from the INEC, dated April 17, 2026, to deploy observers for the 2027 general elections.
‘’In its response dated July 28, 2026, this delegation thanked 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 INEC.
“As explained in the letter: ‘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 EEM submits a final report with recommendations on how to improve the electoral framework and future electoral processes, 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 mentioned in the press reports do not appear in the letter: these are pure speculations. 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 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.
‘’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,” it stated.
The EU delegation also urged media organisations to verify information relating to the EU through its press and communication office before publication in order to avoid the dissemination of misleading reports.
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