INEC Updates EU on 2023 Election Reforms Progress

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of Nigeria has provided an update on the implementation of recommendations made by the European Union (EU) after the 2023 general election. INEC Chairman Prof. Mahmood Yakubu spoke at a meeting with the EU Election Observation Follow‑up Mission in Abuja, outlining the progress made on the EU’s suggestions.

The EU Election Observation Follow‑up Mission, led by Mr. Barry Andrews, a member of the European Parliament, and accompanied by the EU Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Gautier Mignot, and other experts, was tasked with assessing the implementation of the EU’s recommendations midway between the last and the forthcoming general election. In 2019 the EU issued 30 recommendations, 11 of which were directed specifically at INEC; three were identified as priority and eight as general. In 2023 the EU made 23 recommendations, eight of which required action from INEC, including one priority recommendation. The remaining 15 recommendations, five of them priority, call for action from other entities such as the executive, legislature, judiciary, political parties and civil society organisations.

Yakubu noted that INEC has taken administrative action on some recommendations and is working with other stakeholders to implement cross‑cutting ones. He emphasized that the commission has prepared a detailed response to each of the EU’s direct observations and has shared this with the EU team. The EU’s recommendations, together with those from other national and international election observers, were considered during INEC’s review of the 2023 General Election, which produced 142 recommendations for electoral reform now available on INEC’s website.

The INEC Chairman appealed to the National Assembly for expedited consideration of the electoral reform proposal, stressing that early passage of the law is crucial for INEC’s planning for future elections. He assured the EU that INEC will continue to engage with international election observation missions and will soon invite the EU, Commonwealth, African Union and ECOWAS to observe the 2027 General Election. Implementing the EU’s recommendations is expected to improve the quality of Nigeria’s elections and electoral activities.