The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has appointed former Ghanaian President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to head its Election Observation Mission for Nigeria’s 2027 general elections.
The appointment was announced in a statement issued by the Office of the Former President on Thursday, November 12, 2026.
According to the statement, Akufo-Addo will lead the regional bloc’s team of election observers deployed to monitor Nigeria’s presidential and National Assembly elections scheduled for January 16, 2027.
ECOWAS is expected to deploy a 200-member observer mission as part of its commitment to promoting credible elections, democratic governance and political stability across West Africa.
The mission will operate in accordance with the ECOWAS Supplementary Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance, which was adopted in 2001 to strengthen democratic principles and ensure transparent electoral processes among member states.
Members of the delegation will include representatives from foreign affairs ministries, electoral commissions and ECOWAS ambassadors accredited to Nigeria.
Other participants will be drawn from the ECOWAS Council of the Wise, the ECOWAS Court of Justice, the ECOWAS Parliament, electoral management bodies across the region, civil society organisations, media practitioners and election experts.
The observers are expected to monitor different aspects of the electoral process, assess compliance with democratic standards and provide an independent assessment of the conduct of the elections.
The deployment forms part of ECOWAS’s broader regional framework for election observation, which is designed to support peaceful, transparent and credible elections in member countries.
Akufo-Addo served as Ghana’s president from January 2017 to January 2025, completing two constitutional terms before handing over power to the current president, John Dramani Mahama.
During his time in office, the former Ghanaian leader participated in several regional diplomatic and democratic initiatives under the ECOWAS framework.
He also previously led the ECOWAS Election Observation Mission to Benin during its presidential election in April 2026.
His appointment to lead the mission in Nigeria comes as political activities intensify ahead of the 2027 general elections, which are expected to be closely monitored by local and international observers.
ECOWAS’s involvement is expected to reinforce regional efforts to ensure that Nigeria’s electoral process meets accepted democratic standards and that the elections are conducted peacefully.
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