An African Union delegation has begun engagements with the Independent National Electoral Commission as part of its Pre-Election and Needs Assessment Mission to Nigeria ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The mission, scheduled for September 13 to 19, 2026, is led by Demeke Mekonnen, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia.
Mekonnen and members of the delegation were received at INEC’s headquarters in Abuja on Tuesday by the Acting Chairman of the commission, Prof Rhoda Gumus, who represented the INEC Chairman, Prof Joash Ojo Amupitan.
According to a post on INEC’s official X handle, Mekonnen said the mission would examine Nigeria’s level of preparedness across key areas, including voter registration, electoral technology, logistics, funding, inclusion and transparency.
He said the delegation would also identify possible shortcomings that could arise before, during and after the elections and propose measures to address them.
He said, “We want to facilitate support and identify gaps, and for possible remedies and corrections for the successful election process.”
Responding, Gumus outlined some of the measures and reforms being implemented by INEC ahead of the 2027 elections.
She said the commission was preparing for an election of unprecedented scale, with the number of registered voters approaching 100 million, 176,846 polling units and more than 1.4 million personnel expected to be deployed.
She also noted that recent off-cycle elections had allowed the commission to assess and test reforms introduced under the current electoral legal framework.
According to the commission, Gumus highlighted the continued use of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System and the IReV results-viewing portal, alongside coordination with security agencies to strengthen election management.
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She further disclosed that INEC was working with the National Identity Management Commission through the Continuous Voter Registration Portal to audit, verify and clean up the voter register.
The Acting Chairman acknowledged the scale and complexity of Nigeria’s electoral environment, noting that the country’s geographical spread presents technological, logistical and political challenges.
“Gumus acknowledged that Nigeria’s geographical size and complexity continued to present technological, logistical and political challenges,” the tweet added.
“Electoral integrity is a multi-sectoral endeavour, and international technical support remains vital to bridging operational gaps,” she said.
The commission also identified areas where technical assistance from the AU could strengthen preparations, including digital training for ad-hoc election personnel, e-learning platforms, ICT simulations and election-monitoring systems.
Other areas highlighted were measures against disinformation, AI-powered deepfake detection and strategic communication.
Gumus also sought support for improving electoral inclusion and gender-mainstreaming initiatives targeting persons with disabilities, internally displaced persons, women and other underrepresented groups.
She assured the delegation that INEC would maintain transparency and cooperate with political parties, civil society organisations, security agencies, media executives and development partners throughout the mission.
“Gumus assured the delegation of INEC’s full transparency and cooperation as it engages with political parties, civil society organisations, security agencies, media executives and development partners during the mission.
“She reaffirmed the Commission’s commitment to independence, neutrality and professionalism, stating that every administrative decision would be guided by the law and that the outcome of the 2027 general election would reflect the sovereign will of Nigerian voters,” the tweet concluded.
The INEC official described the AU mission as “timely and significant to Nigeria’s democratic development,” noting that both Nigeria and the continental body shared commitments to democratic standards, institutional integrity and credible electoral governance.