The European Union Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS has described as inaccurate the press reports stating that it had sent a letter to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, declining an invitation to observe the 2027 polls in Nigeria.
The reaction to the reports is contained in a press statement by the EU Ambassador to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Gautier Mignot.
The reports had claimed that the European Union Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS had cited 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 as reasons for its said refusal.
But denying the claim the EU delegation confirmed that it received a formal invitation (not a request) from the INEC, dated 17 April 2026, to deploy observers for the 2027 General Elections.
The delegation said in its response dated 28 July 2026, it thanked the INEC for its kind invitation and informed that the EU would field an Electoral Expert, EEM, composed of two to four independent experts, who would formally be accredited as observers with the INEC.
The delegation 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 underlined that the two alleged reasons mentioned in the press reports did 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,” the delegation stated.
It added that the EU delegation respectfully reminded members of the esteemed media community that, to avoid issuing such misleading information about positions or statements of the EU, they could simply check their accuracy with the press and communication office of the EU delegation.
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