ECOWAS election mission head Akufo‑Addo meets Benin electoral body ahead of Presidential Poll

Africa, Politics

PORTO‑NOVO, Benin Republic, 10 April 2026 (NPA) — The Head of the ECOWAS Election Observation Mission (EOM), H.E. Nana Akufo‑Addo, has held discussions with national institutions responsible for organising Benin’s presidential election scheduled for 12 April.

Akufo‑Addo, accompanied by ECOWAS Commissioner for Political Affairs Abdel‑Fatau Musah, ECOWAS Resident Representative in Benin H.E. Amadou Diongue, and officials from the ECOWAS Commission, met stakeholders in Cotonou on 9 April.

At the Autonomous National Electoral Commission (CENA), talks with President Saka Lafia focused on the deployment of electoral materials, management of polling stations, and security measures.

The delegation also visited the Constitutional Court, where discussions with President Dorothé Sossa centred on the Court’s role in verifying the regularity and credibility of the process and announcing final results.

Later, the mission met President Edouard Loko and advisers of the High Authority for Audiovisual and Communication (HAAC) to review efforts to monitor and regulate media coverage of the campaign and voting operations.

On 27 March 2026, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) appointed H.E. Nana Akufo‑Addo as Head of its Election Observation Mission to Benin’s presidential election. The appointment was conveyed by ECOWAS Commission President H.E. Dr Omar Alieu Touray, underscoring the Community’s commitment to democracy, good governance and regional stability.

According to ECOWAS, the mission will be deployed from 7 to 15 April 2026, in line with the ECOWAS Supplementary Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance (2001), which provides the legal and normative framework for election observation across the region.