Ghana’s former president, Nana Akufo-Addo, will lead the regional bloc’s observation of Nigeria’s general elections, scheduled for January 16, 2027. His office confirmed the appointment in a statement on Thursday.
ECOWAS plans to field a 200-member mission, in keeping with its supplementary protocol on democracy and good governance.
According to the statement, the team will draw on a broad mix of people: officials from foreign affairs ministries and electoral commissions, ECOWAS ambassadors accredited in Abuja, members of the Council of the Wise, judges of the ECOWAS Court of Justice, and regional parliamentarians.
Civil society groups, journalists and electoral experts from across West Africa will also take part, along with representatives of member states’ electoral bodies.
Akufo-Addo, who governed Ghana from 2017 to 2025, now takes on a role that carries particular weight for a region where elections and the handling of political crises have come under close scrutiny.
The mission arrives as Nigerians prepare to choose a president who will serve a four-year term.
