03/10/2025
European Union Commends INEC On Electoral Reforms
By Nathaniel Gana
Thursday 2nd October 2025
The European Union (EU) has commended the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for making “very significant progress” in implementing reforms arising from the 2023 General Election, even as the Commission renewed its call on the National Assembly to fast-track electoral amendments ahead of the 2027 General Election.
Head of the EU Election Observation Follow-up Mission (EU-EOM) to Nigeria and Member of the European Parliament, Mr. Barry Andrews, gave the commendation during a meeting with INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, and senior officials of the Commission at the INEC headquarters, Abuja on Thursday, 2nd October 2025.
Andrews, who led the EU-EOM to observe the 2023 General Election, described the EU deployment for the election as “one of the largest ever by the EU”, which, he noted, reflected Nigeria’s central role in global democracy.
His words: “We are very happy to see that there has been very significant progress on our recommendations. We recognise the challenges of judicial, administrative, and constitutional reforms, but we are encouraged by the work already done.”
He added that the Follow-up Mission, which has been in Nigeria for three weeks, was keen to hear INEC’s assessment of the reforms carried out so far, particularly in the area of improving result transparency and lessons learnt from recent off-cycle governorship elections.
Drawing from his experience as an Irish parliamentarian, Andrews also underscored the reciprocity of Observation Missions: “We have welcomed Nigerian observers in Ireland, and their contributions were constructive. Election observation is part of a global democratic ecosystem. It strengthens democracy everywhere,” he observed.
Responding, Prof. Yakubu said that the Commission has taken concrete steps on the recommendations requiring administrative action just as it is consulting with stakeholders on cross-cutting issues.
“For those requiring legislative backing, we await the conclusion of the ongoing legal review by the National Assembly. However, an early passage of electoral reforms is critical to our planning. Uncertainty over the legal framework unsettles our work as elections draw nearer,” he warned.
The INEC Chairman also revealed that the Commission had, last year, published its comprehensive report on the 2023 general election as well as the Review Report containing 142 recommendations, noting that both the EU report and findings by other election observers were central to the Commission’s review process.
Prof. Yakubu reaffirmed that international observers would remain key partners in Nigeria’s democratic process. “Very soon, we will send out invitations to the EU, the Commonwealth, the African Union, and ECOWAS to observe the 2027 General Election. Their recommendations have helped us to improve the quality of our elections and electoral activities,” he said.
Andrews was accompanied by the EU Ambassador to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Mr. Gautier Mignot; Election Expert and Team Lead, Mr. Ralph-Michael Peters; Election Legal Expert, Ms. Eirini-Maria Gounari; Election Administration Expert, Mr. Maros Gabriel; Programme Manager for Democracy and Rule of Law at the EU Delegation, Mrs. Laolu Olawumi; and the Team Leader of the EU Delegation, Mr. Ruben Alba-Aguilera.
The meeting was also attended by INEC National Commissioners, Secretary to the Commission, Technical Aides to the INEC Chairman, and Senior Commission officials.
Link:👇🏿
https://inecnews.com/european-union-commends-inec-on-electoral-reforms/
