The European Union (EU) delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS has rejected reports that alleged it declined an invitation from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to observe the country’s forthcoming 2027 elections.
Gautier Mignot, EU ambassador to Nigeria and ECOWAS, distanced the bloc from the reports in a statement on Monday.
According to the reports, the EU cited “worsening insecurity and hostile treatment” following its 2023 election observation mission as the basis for the alleged decision.
The claim was widely reported by some media outlets and political parties including the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The EU has deployed election observation missions to Nigeria for every general election since 2003, making the country one of its longest-running election observation engagements in Africa.
Ahead of the February 2023 presidential election, a core team of 11 EU experts arrived in Abuja in January, followed by 40 long-term observers deployed around the country.
The PDP described the bloc’s alleged decision
