On Monday, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) welcomed a senior delegation from the ECOWAS Network of Electoral Commissions (ECONEC) for a mission focused on post-election follow-up and needs assessment in Nigeria. The meeting took place at INEC’s Headquarters in Abuja and was intended to evaluate how Nigeria has implemented recommendations from the ECOWAS Election Observation Mission (EOM) after the 2023 General Election. The delegation was led by Mrs. Davidetta Browne-Lansanah, Chairperson of Liberia’s National Elections Commission and Head of the ECONEC Mission, and included Dr. Bossman Asare, Deputy Chairman (Corporate Services) of Ghana’s Electoral Commission, Mr. Serigne Mamadou Ka, Acting Permanent Secretary of ECONEC and Head of the ECOWAS Electoral Assistance Division, along with specialists from GIZ, EISA, and International IDEA. INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu highlighted the significance of the mission, referring to it as a “regular yet essential” part of strengthening democracy in West Africa. He pointed out that Nigeria has been involved in multiple peer missions, with the most recent one taking place in The Gambia in April 2025. Yakubu praised ECOWAS for sending both long-term and short-term observers for Nigeria’s 2023 elections and for providing practical suggestions afterwards. He disclosed that ECOWAS provided 37 recommendations, with 13 aimed at INEC and 24 targeting other stakeholders such as the National Assembly, Nigeria Police Force, National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), NITDA, political parties through IPAC, civil society, the NUJ, and NIMC. “The Commission has already implemented administrative measures on the 13 recommendations directed at us and is now waiting for legislative changes from the National Assembly on issues that need legal reform,” stated Prof. Yakubu announced. The electoral reforms are outlined in INEC’s document containing 142 recommendations, created after thorough discussions with stakeholders, and it can be found on our website. The Chairman of INEC conveyed gratitude to ECONEC for its ongoing collaboration and to the development partners who aided the mission. He particularly recognized Lenny Taabu from EISA, Emmanuel Kissi from IDEA, and Michael Agada from GIZ for their technical contributions. Prof Yakubu also expressed sincere appreciation to the staff of the ECONEC Secretariat for their professionalism and unwavering assistance in fostering electoral development in the region. In her reply, the Head of the ECONEC Mission, Mrs.
