INEC, Ethiopian Officials Meet on Election Management

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has received a delegation from the National Election Board of Ethiopia (NEBE) and the Coalition of Ethiopian Civil Society Organisations for Elections (CECOE) on a week-long study visit to Nigeria.

The Ethiopian delegation, led by Tesfaye Niwai, deputy chairman of NEBE, and Abera Hailemariam, executive director of CECOE, will engage with Nigerian officials to exchange experiences on election management and democratic governance.

Facilitated by the German Agency for International Development (GIZ), the visit aims to strengthen collaboration and share best practices between the two nations.

Over the course of the visit, participants will take part in nine technical sessions focused on key areas, including strategic election planning, the use of technology in voter registration, candidate nomination management, observer and media accreditation, and ensuring inclusivity in electoral processes.

At the opening session held on Monday at INEC headquarters in Abuja, the commission’s chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, described the engagement as “extraordinary”, noting it was the first time Nigeria would host a joint delegation of election officials and civil society representatives from Ethiopia.

“In the past, we only interacted with colleagues from the electoral commissions. Today, we are hosting a joint delegation from the National Election Board of Ethiopia (NEBE) and the Coalition of Ethiopian Civil Society Organisations for Elections (CECOE), representing over 180 civil society organisations who are here to understudy the Nigerian electoral process,” he said.

Yakubu also underscored the similarities between Nigeria and Ethiopia, highlighting that both countries are multi-ethnic, multi-religious, and operate federal systems of government.

“With an estimated population of over 135.5 million people, Ethiopia is the second most populous country in Africa after Nigeria. In fact, our two countries account for a quarter of the entire population of Africa,” he said.

He noted that both electoral bodies share comparable constitutional roles, including conducting national and regional elections, registering and regulating political parties, monitoring campaign finances, and promoting voter education.

“For an extensive experience-sharing engagement of this nature, the commission has invited some civil society organisations, the media, and the inter-party advisory council (IPAC) to join specific technical sessions to exchange ideas with our visitors,” he said.

Yakubu further pointed out that the visit coincides with Nigeria’s ongoing voter registration exercise in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) ahead of the February 2026 area council elections.

“This will provide our visitors the opportunity for a real-life experience of voter registration in Nigeria,” he said.