As Nigeria prepares for the 2027 general election, the European Union (EU) in Nigeria is supporting efforts to strengthen the country’s electoral institutions and improve election preparedness.
Through its Support for Democratic Governance in Nigeria (EU-SDGN) programme, implemented by DAI, the EU supported a two-day Post-Ekiti and Osun Election Monitoring and Support Centre (EMSC) review and readiness assessment workshop, held in Lagos from 2 to 3 September.
The workshop brought together officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), election monitoring officers, technical experts and development partners to review the commission’s election monitoring systems and identify improvements needed ahead of the 2027 general election.
The EMSC provides INEC with a platform for real-time information gathering, analysis, reporting and decision-making during electoral activities.
The review focused on the performance of the existing EMSC structure and monitoring dashboard, including challenges relating to data collection, reporting, coordination, system capacity and the integration of different monitoring platforms.
Delivering his remarks, the Election Administration Expert for DAI, Professor Okechukwu Ibeanu, said the review provided an opportunity for INEC to draw lessons from recent deployments of the EMSC, particularly in Ekiti and Osun states.
“We have been involved with the EMSC for a very long time. We have provided varied support to the EMSC, and we think it is timely to take a look at the EMSC, particularly its most recent deployments in Ekiti and Osun, and learn lessons that we can take forward to the general election,” Professor Ibeanu said.
He stressed that the exercise should be driven by the experience of INEC officials who have used the monitoring system during elections.
“What is critical will be your own firsthand experience with the EMSC process, because it is that experience that will help you develop an improved version, deal with the issues and find ways of adapting to future challenges,” he said.
Professor Ibeanu said the support provided through EU-SDGN was intended to help INEC turn its own ideas and experience into practical improvements.
“The ideas are yours. All we have tried to do is to support those ideas to come to fruition,” he said.
Declaring the workshop open, INEC National Commissioner supervising the Planning, Monitoring and Strategy Committee, Dr Ken Ukeagu, said the EMSC had become an important part of the commission’s election monitoring and coordination architecture.
“This workshop is coming at a very critical time as the commission intensifies its preparations for the 2027 general election. The EMSC has become an important component of our election monitoring and coordination architecture, providing a platform for real-time information gathering, analysis, reporting, and decision-making during electoral activities. The purpose of this workshop is therefore not only to review the performance of the existing EMSC structure and monitoring dashboard, but also to identify areas requiring improvement and develop a more effective and responsive framework for the future,” he said.
He said the review would help the commission identify what had worked, address gaps and develop a more responsive system ahead of 2027.
“Our objective should be to build on our successes while addressing identified gaps in coordination, communication, data collection, analysis, reporting, and timely response. I encourage all participants to contribute actively and constructively to the discussions. This is an opportunity for us to examine our processes critically, share experiences, and propose practical solutions that can be implemented ahead of the 2027 general election,” Dr Ukeagu said.
He expressed confidence that the workshop would produce practical recommendations for improving the commission’s monitoring system.
“I'm confident that at the end of this workshop, we'll have clear recommendations for improving the EMSC structure, the dashboard, reporting mechanisms, and overall monitoring processes,” he said.
He also called for the integration of other monitoring and reporting platforms operating within the commission, saying this would reduce duplication and improve the flow of information.
The Director of Planning and Monitoring, Mrs Helen O. Ajayi, provided an overview of the development of the EMSC and the reforms that shaped the commission’s approach to election planning and monitoring.
She said the system had evolved from reforms introduced following the 2011 general election, when the commission identified the need for more systematic election planning and stronger institutional memory.
“The history of EMSC dates back to the reforms that followed the 2011 general election,” Mrs Ajayi said.
She said the current review had identified several challenges with the monitoring dashboard that needed to be addressed before 2027.
Among them are difficulties configuring the system for by-elections involving selected local government areas and registration areas, limited reporting and validation functions, inadequate archiving and concerns about the system’s ability to accommodate large numbers of users simultaneously.
The challenges are particularly significant ahead of a general election, when hundreds of electoral officers, state officials and authorised national users will need to access the system.
The review is expected to produce recommendations for improving the EMSC structure, monitoring dashboard, reporting mechanisms and overall election preparedness processes. The exercise forms part of the EU’s wider support, through EU-SDGN, for strengthening democratic governance and electoral institutions in Nigeria.
