The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has engaged the African Union (AU) on Nigeria’s preparations for the 2027 general elections, with both institutions exploring areas of cooperation to strengthen the credibility and integrity of the electoral process.
The engagement took place when an AU Pre-Election and Needs Assessment Mission, led by His Excellency Demeke Mekonnen, former Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia, paid a courtesy visit to the Commission.
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The delegation was received by INEC’s Acting Chairman, Professor Rhoda Gumus, who represented the Chairman of the Commission, Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan, SAN.
The AU mission, which is in Nigeria from September 13 to 19, 2026, is aimed at assessing the country’s level of preparedness for the 2027 elections, identifying potential gaps and recommending measures that could support a successful electoral process.
Speaking during the meeting, Mekonnen said the mission would focus on critical areas including voter registration, electoral technology, logistics, funding, inclusion, transparency, electoral disputes, security and result management.
He stressed the importance of the pre-election period to the overall success of the electoral process, noting that credible voter registration, transparent procedures and public confidence were essential to a successful election.
“We want to facilitate support and identify gaps, and for possible remedies and corrections for the successful election process,” Mekonnen said.
Responding, Gumus welcomed the AU delegation and conveyed the compliments of the INEC Chairman, describing the mission as timely and significant to Nigeria’s democratic development.
She said Nigeria and the African Union shared a commitment to democratic standards, institutional integrity and credible electoral governance.
According to her, INEC is preparing for the 2027 general elections on an unprecedented scale, with the voter population approaching 100 million, 176,846 polling units and a workforce of more than 1.4 million personnel.
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Gumus said recent off-cycle elections had also provided the Commission with opportunities to test and evaluate electoral reforms under the new legal framework.
She highlighted the use of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), result viewing through the IReV portal and inter-agency security coordination as some of the measures being deployed to strengthen electoral administration.
The Acting Chairman further disclosed that INEC was collaborating with the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) through the Continuous Voter Registration Portal to audit, verify and clean the voter register ahead of the 2027 elections.
However, she acknowledged that Nigeria’s geographical size and complexity continued to pose technological, logistical and political challenges to the electoral process.
“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 staff, e-learning tools, ICT simulations, election-monitoring systems and strategic communication.
She also called for support in tackling disinformation, particularly through the development of countermeasures against AI-generated content and deepfakes that could undermine public confidence in the electoral process.
Gumus further sought AU assistance in strengthening inclusion and gender-mainstreaming frameworks to improve participation by persons with disabilities, internally displaced persons, women and other underrepresented groups.
She assured the delegation that INEC would maintain transparency and cooperation throughout the mission, including engagements with political parties, civil society organisations, security agencies, media executives and development partners.
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Gumus reaffirmed the Commission’s commitment to independence, neutrality and professionalism, stressing that its administrative decisions would be guided by the law.
She added that INEC remained committed to ensuring that the outcome of the 2027 general elections reflects the sovereign will of Nigerian voters.