The European Union Election Follow-up Mission (EFM) has urged Nigerian authorities to accelerate electoral reforms to restore public trust and ensure credible elections in 2027.
The EFM Chief of Mission, Mr Barry Andrews, made the appeal during a press conference on Friday in Abuja.
He said that advancing reforms within a limited timeframe was vital for strengthening democratic resilience and preventing a repeat of the shortcomings recorded in 2023.
“We welcome the legislative momentum seen in the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill 2025 and the ongoing constitutional review process, however, time is rapidly running out. Unless these reforms are concluded within the next few months, there is a risk of repeating the serious shortcomings of 2023,” Andrews stated.
He added that reforms should safeguard transparency, inclusiveness and credibility of the 2027 elections.
The EU mission recalled that in 2023 it had issued 23 recommendations, including strengthening the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), guaranteeing transparent results transmission, safeguarding freedom of expression, addressing impunity for electoral offences, eliminating legal ambiguities and enhancing women’s representation.
Andrews said the mission remained politically neutral, non-partisan and respectful of Nigeria’s sovereignty, adding that its team had met with INEC, lawmakers, political parties, civil society groups, media representatives and development partners.
“We are encouraged by the constructive cooperation between civil society organisations and members of the legislature, particularly in shaping proposals for a stronger legal framework. This inclusive engagement is an important sign of commitment to reforms that can strengthen credibility and foster greater public confidence in the electoral process,” he noted.
The mission found that of the 23 recommendations, one had been fully implemented, two partially implemented, eight were ongoing, three were too early to assess, while nine remained unimplemented.
Andrews observed that public confidence in INEC remained low despite some progress and insisted that restoring trust would require a merit-based and non-partisan appointment of its new chairperson.
He further called for a robust system to allow real-time publication of polling unit and collation results, enabling citizens to verify both paper and electronic records.
(NAN)