An African Union delegation has visited the Independent National Electoral Commission in Abuja as part of a pre-election assessment mission ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 general elections.

The delegation, led by former Ethiopian Foreign Affairs Minister Demeke Mekonnen, is in Nigeria from September 13 to 19 to assess the country’s preparedness for the elections.

Mekonnen, who was received at INEC headquarters by the Acting Chairman, Prof Rhoda Gumus, said the mission was aimed at identifying potential gaps in the electoral process and determining areas where support could be provided.

He said the assessment would cover voter registration, electoral technology, logistics, funding, inclusion and transparency, among other areas.

Mekonnen said the AU wanted to identify possible challenges before, during and after the elections and recommend measures that could contribute to a successful electoral process.

Gumus, who represented the INEC Chairman, Prof Joash Ojo Amupitan, said the commission was preparing for the elections on an unprecedented scale, with the number of registered voters approaching 100 million.

She disclosed that the 2027 exercise would involve 176,846 polling units and more than 1.4 million personnel.

Gumus said recent off-cycle elections had enabled the commission to test reforms introduced under the new electoral legal framework.

She highlighted the use of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, result viewing through the IReV portal and inter-agency security coordination as measures aimed at strengthening electoral administration.

She also said INEC was working with the National Identity Management Commission through the Continuous Voter Registration Portal to audit, verify and clean the voter register.

The Acting Chairman identified Nigeria’s size and complexity, as well as technological, logistical and political challenges, as issues requiring continued cooperation among stakeholders.

She called for AU technical support in areas including digital training for ad-hoc staff, e-learning, ICT simulations, election monitoring, countering disinformation and detecting AI-generated deepfakes.

Gumus also sought support for stronger inclusion and gender-mainstreaming measures for women, persons with disabilities, internally displaced persons and other underrepresented groups.

She assured the delegation of INEC’s transparency and cooperation as it engages political parties, civil society organisations, security agencies, media executives and development partners during the mission.

She reaffirmed the commission’s commitment to independence, neutrality and professionalism, saying the 2027 election would be conducted in accordance with the law and reflect the will of Nigerian voters.