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, 12 November 2026. Akufo-Addo will lead a 200-member team of observers tasked with monitoring the presidential and National Assembly elections scheduled for 16 January 2027. Governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections are set to follow on 6 February 2027.
According to the statement, the deployment is being undertaken in accordance with the ECOWAS Supplementary Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance, adopted in 2001. The protocol provides the regional framework for supporting democratic processes and credible elections in member states.
The observer mission will draw participants from a broad range of institutions and expertise across West Africa. These include representatives from ministries of foreign affairs, national electoral commissions, ECOWAS ambassadors accredited in Abuja, members of the ECOWAS Council of the Wise, the ECOWAS Court of Justice, and the ECOWAS Parliament. Civil society organisations, media practitioners, and electoral specialists from member states will also form part of the team.
Akufo-Addo served as President of Ghana from January 2017 to January 2025, completing two constitutional terms before handing over power to John Dramani Mahama. During his tenure, he also chaired the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government from 2020 to 2022. Since leaving office, he has taken on other regional election observation roles, including missions in the region earlier in 2026.
The ECOWAS mission is expected to assess the overall conduct of the electoral process, including preparations, voting procedures, and adherence to democratic standards, and to issue recommendations aimed at strengthening electoral integrity and political stability in Nigeria and the wider sub-region.
Nigeria’s 2027 polls are widely viewed as a significant test of the country’s democratic institutions and will be closely watched across West Africa.
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