By Faith Anisiobi, The Sight News
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has reaffirmed its commitment to conducting a transparent, credible, inclusive and peaceful 2027 General Election as the African Union (AU) Pre-Election Needs Assessment Mission commenced engagements with the commission in Abuja.
The AU delegation is led by former Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia, Demeke Mekonnen, who is in Nigeria to assess the country’s electoral readiness and identify areas requiring technical support.
Receiving the delegation at INEC headquarters on Tuesday, the Acting Chairman of the commission, Prof. Rhoda Gumus, described the mission as an opportunity for peer assessment, institutional learning and strengthening of Nigeria’s electoral processes.
Gumus said the AU engagement would help strengthen institutional resilience and public confidence in the electoral process, noting that it should be viewed as an important mechanism rather than a mere formality.
She said INEC had commenced operational, technological and logistical preparations for the 2027 election, while lessons from recent off-cycle elections in Anambra, the Federal Capital Territory, Ekiti and Osun states would continue to inform its planning.
The Acting Chairman identified digital training for ad hoc election personnel, countering election-related disinformation and deep fakes, strengthening the Election Monitoring and Support Centre, and improving inclusivity and gender-mainstreaming as areas where AU support would be valuable.
She stressed that electoral integrity was a collective responsibility involving political parties, civil society, security agencies, the media, development partners and voters.
Gumus also reaffirmed the independence and neutrality of INEC, assuring that under the current commission led by Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, administrative decisions would comply with the law and technical deployments would promote transparency.
Mekonnen said the mission was designed as a supportive and consultative engagement to identify gaps, assess risks and explore areas for possible technical assistance.
He said the delegation would engage INEC and other stakeholders on voter registration and register integrity, electoral technology, logistics, funding, inclusion, transparency, dispute resolution, security coordination and results management.
He reaffirmed the AU’s partnership with Nigeria in promoting democratic governance and credible elections across the continent.
