The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has expressed optimism that lessons from Nigeria’s 2023 general elections could strengthen electoral management across the West African sub-region.
The Head of the ECOWAS Network of Electoral Commissions (ECONEC) post-election mission, Davidetta Browne-Lansanah, stated this during a follow-up and needs assessment visit to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Headquarters in Abuja.
The meeting aimed to review Nigeria’s implementation of recommendations made by the ECOWAS Election Observation Mission (EOM) following the 2023 General Election.
Browne-Lansanah emphasised that the mission was not only about reviewing INEC’s implementation of recommendations but also about sharing lessons that could benefit other election management bodies in the region.
Browne-Lansanah described the mission as a peer-to-peer review, emphasising the importance of sharing experiences and lessons learned from Nigeria’s elections to strengthen electoral management bodies across the region.
The ECOWAS team commended INEC for its support and collaboration, highlighting the importance of regional cooperation in promoting democratic governance and electoral integrity.
INEC Chairman Professor Mahmood Yakubu said the commission had reviewed all 37 recommendations made by the ECOWAS EOM, with 13 addressed to INEC and 24 to other institutions.
Yakubu said that INEC had taken steps on recommendations within its administrative mandate while awaiting legislative action on others.
He noted that INEC had incorporated the recommendations into its 142 reform proposals, which were currently before the National Assembly.
