The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has scheduled November 28, 2026, for a nationwide mock accreditation and voting exercise to assess the effectiveness of upgraded electoral technologies ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The exercise, which will cover all states of the federation, is designed to test the commission’s Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and electronic transmission of election results under simulated presidential election conditions.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, announced the exercise on Thursday during a dialogue at Chatham House in London, organised in collaboration with the Kimpact Development Initiative.
The discussion, themed “Nigeria’s 2027 Elections: Democratic Trajectory and Regional Stability Beyond the Ballot,” provided an opportunity for the electoral chief to outline the commission’s preparations and reforms ahead of the polls.
In a statement issued in Abuja by his Chief Press Secretary and Media Adviser, Adedayo Oketola, Amupitan said the mock exercise would help identify technical weaknesses and establish the reliability of the upgraded systems before election day.
“On the 28th of this month, we will conduct a mock accreditation and voting exercise across all states of the Federation to simulate the presidential election and verify that we have gotten both accreditation and electronic result transmission right,” he said.
The INEC chairman also disclosed that the commission had introduced additional technological safeguards to prevent polling unit results containing inaccurate figures or indications of over-voting from being uploaded to its Result Viewing Portal (IReV).
According to him, an audit conducted after the 2023 general elections identified collation centres as a major source of problems in the management and declaration of election results.
“We found that the core problem of election result management and declaration in Nigeria is not even at the polling unit—it is at the collation centres,” he said.
He explained that the new safeguards were designed to ensure that results failing to meet prescribed accuracy checks at polling units would not proceed to the electronic viewing platform.
“We have now devised a technical safeguard: if a result is not accurate at the polling unit, it will not go to IReV at all,” Amupitan added.
On the commission’s technology strategy, the INEC chairman said the decision was to improve existing electoral infrastructure rather than introduce an entirely new system, considering the limited period remaining before the 2027 elections.
He also addressed concerns over BVAS malfunctions recorded during the 2023 polls, disclosing that the commission was constructing climate-controlled storage facilities across the states to protect the devices against extreme temperatures.
Additionally, INEC has procured more BVAS machines and reduced the maximum number of registered voters assigned to each device from 1,250 to 850.
Under the revised arrangement, polling units with more than 850 registered voters will be equipped with additional devices to prevent congestion and improve accreditation efficiency.
On funding, Amupitan disclosed that the commission had received a substantial portion of its budget for the 2027 general elections but was still awaiting the release of the outstanding allocation.
He expressed optimism that the remaining funds would be made available before the end of November, noting that part of the allocation would support the recruitment and welfare of ad hoc election personnel.
The INEC chairman also appealed to Nigerians to give his leadership an opportunity to rebuild public confidence in the electoral commission, acknowledging that the controversies surrounding the 2023 presidential election had seriously affected the institution’s credibility.
“First and foremost, let me speak about what happened in 2023, which resulted in a significant trust deficit for INEC—damage so large that the Commission has not yet fully recovered from it,” he admitted.
He, however, argued that subsequent elections had provided opportunities for the commission to identify operational shortcomings and improve its electoral processes.
He cited the governorship elections in Anambra and Osun, the Federal Capital Territory Area Council elections, the Ekiti governorship poll and 16 legislative by-elections as exercises through which INEC had gained useful experience.
Amupitan particularly highlighted the speed of result declaration in Anambra and Osun, noting that the outcomes were announced the day after voting, unlike the prolonged processes associated with previous elections in the states.
“Every election is a lesson. The 2023 general election was a major lesson for Nigeria, and the Anambra election was another,” he said.
Addressing questions about his political neutrality, the INEC chairman denied operating an X account, formerly Twitter, associated with a controversial political publication.
He disclosed that an independent forensic examination had been conducted, while the matter had been referred to the Department of State Services and the Inspector-General of Police for further investigation.
Reaffirming his commitment to impartiality, Amupitan maintained that his responsibility as INEC chairman was guided by the country’s constitution and electoral laws.
“My loyalty is solely to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Electoral Act,” he declared.
He also defended his previous involvement in political cases as a legal practitioner, explaining that such engagements were undertaken in his professional capacity before his appointment as INEC chairman.
The electoral chief urged young Nigerians to participate actively in the democratic process and resist misinformation capable of undermining the credibility of the forthcoming elections.
The presidential and National Assembly elections are scheduled for January 16, 2027, while governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections will hold on February 6, 2027.
With the November 28 mock exercise approaching, INEC faces the task of demonstrating that its upgraded technology, improved operational arrangements and proposed safeguards can address the shortcomings that undermined confidence in the 2023 general elections.
