Benin Republic Electoral Officials Visits INEC On Study Tour Ahead Of 2026 Polls

Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) welcomed a high-level delegation from the Benin Republic’s Autonomous National Electoral Commission (CENA) on Monday for a study tour aimed at enhancing their electoral processes ahead of Benin’s 2026 elections.

INEC Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, received the 12-member delegation, led by CENA President Sacca Lafia, at INEC headquarters in Abuja. The visiting team comprised national commissioners, directors, and senior officials eager to learn from Nigeria’s electoral strategies and innovations.

Highlighting the purpose of the visit, Lafia stated that Benin is preparing for its most intricate elections yet and seeks to adopt best practices from Nigeria’s electoral system.

Yakubu described the visit as an opportunity for peer learning and collaboration. “CENA expressed interest in studying Nigeria’s legal framework for elections, material design and logistics, recruitment and training of poll officials, budgeting, security measures, the use of technology, observer accreditation, and stakeholder engagement,” he noted.

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INEC, in response, crafted an extensive program for the delegation, involving briefings by various departments and sharing of key documents. Yakubu reassured the visitors of INEC’s commitment to fostering mutual growth in electoral administration, saying, “We are ready to share our experiences and support Benin in strengthening its democratic processes.”

The visit underscores Nigeria’s growing influence as a model for electoral systems in Africa and the commitment of both nations to enhancing credible and transparent elections through collaboration.