The European Union Election Follow-up Mission (EFM) has urged Nigerian authorities to expedite electoral reforms ahead of the 2027 general election.
Speaking at a press conference in Abuja on Friday, Barry Andrews, chief of the EU EFM, said timely reforms are crucial to restoring public confidence and ensuring credible, inclusive elections.
“The country’s democratic resilience depends on reforms that citizens can trust,” Andrews said.
He commended the progress on the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill 2025 and the ongoing constitutional review but warned that “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. We encourage all political actors to seize the momentum to deliver reforms that can safeguard transparency in 2027,” he added.
The EU mission, which provided 23 recommendations after the 2023 elections, urged Nigeria to strengthen the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), ensure transparent results transmission, address impunity for electoral offences, and promote women’s representation.
Andrews noted that while one recommendation had been fully implemented, two were partially addressed, eight were ongoing, three were too early to determine, and nine remained untouched.
He said the mission had engaged with stakeholders, including INEC, the National Assembly, political parties, civil society, the media, and development partners.
He welcomed the constructive cooperation between legislators and civil society, describing it as a “positive sign of commitment” to reforms.
Andrews, however, stressed that public confidence in INEC remains low and called for a merit-based, non-partisan appointment of its next chairperson. Such a move, he said, would send “a powerful signal of commitment to credible elections.”
He also advocated a robust system for real-time publication of polling unit and collation results to enable citizens to verify both paper and electronic records.
