The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has appointed former Ghanaian President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, to lead its Election Observation Mission to Nigeria ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The appointment was announced in a statement issued by the Office of the Former President on Thursday, November 12, 2026.
Akufo-Addo will lead a 200-member team of observers expected to monitor Nigeria’s presidential and National Assembly elections scheduled for January 16, 2027.
The mission will comprise representatives from ministries of foreign affairs, electoral commissions and ECOWAS diplomatic missions, as well as members of the ECOWAS Council of the Wise, the regional bloc’s Court of Justice and Parliament.
Civil society organisations, media practitioners and electoral experts from across West Africa will also be part of the team.
According to the statement, the deployment will be carried out in line with the ECOWAS Supplementary Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance, adopted in 2001, which provides a framework for promoting democratic governance and credible elections in member states.
The mission is expected to assess the conduct of the electoral process and make recommendations aimed at strengthening democratic institutions in Nigeria and the wider West African region.
Akufo-Addo served as Ghana’s president from January 2017 to January 2025, completing two constitutional terms before handing over to his successor, John Dramani Mahama.
The presidential and National Assembly elections will hold on January 16, 2027, while governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections are scheduled for February 6, 2027.
