Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has revealed plans to deploy youth observers alongside its traditional election observation missions for Nigeria’s 2027 general elections.
Gatekeepers News reports that Serigne Ka, head of the ECOWAS Electoral Assistance Division, disclosed this in Abuja during the fifth edition of the Sectoral Reflection Series on Elections and Democracy organised by the Peering Advocacy and Advancement Centre in Africa (PAACA), in collaboration with Legis360.
Ka said the youth observation initiative had already been piloted in Côte d’Ivoire and replicated in the Republic of Benin. He added that ECOWAS would implement the initiative during elections in Cabo Verde in November and The Gambia in December before Nigeria’s 2027 polls.
“Definitely, we are not going to leave Nigeria out in January,” Ka said.
He said the initiative was aimed at increasing youth participation in electoral and political processes across the region.
Ka identified financing as one of the major obstacles to youth participation in politics.
“There are many barriers. There are social and cultural barriers, and we have gender bias against women and girls, for instance. But I think the nerve of everything is finance,” he said.
“Unless young people can access finance, I don’t think they can do much about political participation.”
The ECOWAS official also urged political parties to create more opportunities for young people to participate in their structures and decision-making processes.
He said ECOWAS would continue to promote inclusivity but stressed that young people must also take responsibility for demanding greater representation.
Ezenwa Nwagwu, executive director of PAACA, said integrating young people into ECOWAS election observation missions was important for strengthening democratic participation.
Nwagwu also urged young people who participate in election observation to understand the laws and regulations governing elections.
The planned deployment would give young Nigerians a greater role in monitoring the 2027 electoral process and assessing compliance with democratic standards.
