The European Union has denied reports suggesting that it rejected an invitation from the Independent National Electoral Commission to observe Nigeria’s 2027 general elections.
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The EU Ambassador to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Gautier Mignot, in a statement on Monday, described such reports as inaccurate and speculative.
Mignot confirmed that the EU received INEC’s invitation in April and responded to the commission, stating that it would deploy an Electoral Expert Mission for the elections.
According to him, the mission will comprise two to four independent observers.
The clarification followed reports that the EU had declined INEC’s invitation and would no longer deploy a full election observation mission to Nigeria, allegedly due to security concerns and the hostile treatment of its officials after the 2023 elections.
However, Mignot said the decision on the type and size of electoral mission to deploy is taken yearly by the EU based on the situation in each partner country and available resources.
“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.
He explained that it was on that basis that the EU decided to conduct an Electoral Expert Mission in Nigeria, adding that the implementation would be further discussed with the relevant Nigerian authorities.
“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 added.
The EU Ambassador also dismissed claims that the decision to deploy a smaller team was due to security concerns or the alleged treatment of EU officials after the 2023 elections.
“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,” he said.
Mignot added that the decision would not affect the EU-funded project, “Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria,” including its support for the electoral process.
The statement comes amid public debate over the level of international election observation expected in Nigeria’s 2027 polls.
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