ECOWAS Deploys Election Observers to Cabo Verde and Nigeria

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is coordinating multiple electoral observation missions to support democratic governance across West Africa. In Cabo Verde, Head of Mission Fatoumatta Jallow-Tambajang arrived in Praia on November 10, 2026, to oversee the presidential election scheduled for November 15. The mission, authorized by ECOWAS Commission President General Birame Diop, includes 20 long-term experts and approximately 60 short-term observers tasked with ensuring the process is "peaceful, inclusive and transparent."

Simultaneously, ECOWAS has appointed former Ghanaian President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to lead a 200-member mission for Nigeria's 2027 general elections. Akufo-Addo will oversee observers for the presidential and National Assembly votes on January 16, 2027, as well as governorship and state assembly elections on February 6, 2027. This mission is constituted under the 2001 ECOWAS Supplementary Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance and includes experts from regional foreign ministries, the ECOWAS Court of Justice, and the ECOWAS Parliament.

In Nigeria, the Independent National Electoral Commission has finalized a list of 18 presidential candidates. Provisional voter data from October 2026 indicates a register of approximately 103.4 million people, with the largest voting demographic falling between the ages of 35 and 49.