The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced plans to conduct a nationwide mock accreditation and voting exercise on November 28, 2026, as part of efforts to strengthen its technology and ensure credible conduct of the 2027 general elections.
Joash Amupitan, INEC Chairman, disclosed this on Thursday during a dialogue at Chatham House, London, organised in partnership with the Kimpact Development Initiative (KDI).
Amupitan said the commission had introduced technical safeguards to prevent inaccurate election results and figures indicating over-voting from being uploaded to its Result Viewing Portal (IReV).
He said the measures followed an assessment of the 2023 general elections, which exposed weaknesses in result management, particularly at collation centres.
“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 said.
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He added that the new system would eliminate discrepancies between polling unit results and collation figures.
“The moment a result appears on IReV, citizens can trust what they see. By eliminating inconsistencies at the source, collation will become a transparent formality,” he said.
The INEC chairman identified insecurity, logistics and result management as the commission’s major priorities ahead of the 2027 elections.
He also disclosed that the commission had upgraded its Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) to address malfunctions associated with extreme heat and poor storage conditions during the 2023 elections.
Amupitan said INEC was constructing climate-controlled storage facilities across the states and had procured additional BVAS devices.
He added that the maximum number of voters assigned to each device had been reduced from 1,250 to 850, with polling units having more than 850 registered voters to be provided with additional machines.
The November 28 nationwide mock exercise, he said, would test the upgraded accreditation system and electronic transmission of results ahead of the general elections.
“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.
On election financing, Amupitan said INEC had received a substantial portion of its 2027 election budget but was still awaiting the release of the outstanding balance.
He said the outstanding funds included allocations for the recruitment and welfare of ad hoc election personnel, adding that the commission had received assurances that the money would be released before the end of November.
Addressing concerns over public confidence in the commission following the controversies surrounding the 2023 presidential election, Amupitan acknowledged that the exercise had created a significant trust deficit for INEC.
“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 said.
However, he said improvements recorded in subsequent off-cycle elections demonstrated the commission’s readiness to conduct credible elections in 2027.
He cited the Anambra and Osun governorship elections, the Federal Capital Territory Area Council polls, the Ekiti governorship election and 16 legislative by-elections as evidence of operational improvements.
“Why must Nigerians trust me? Nigerians must trust me because, number one, I have conducted off-cycle elections — and observers agree that the recent election in Osun State marked a clear improvement,” he said.
According to him, administrative reforms enabled INEC to declare results in Anambra and Osun the day after voting, unlike previous elections in the states that experienced prolonged delays.
Amupitan, who assumed office in October 2025, said every election conducted since then had provided lessons for improving the electoral process.
He also dismissed allegations questioning his neutrality over claims linking his phone number to a controversial X account, saying he had never operated an account on the platform.
He said an independent forensic review had been obtained and the matter referred to the Department of State Services and the Inspector-General of Police for investigation.
On allegations of irregularities in the voter register, including claims of an 85 per cent increase in registered voters in a ward in Ebonyi State, the INEC chairman said the commission had investigated and resolved the complaint in accordance with statutory procedures.
Amupitan urged Nigerians, particularly young people, to remain involved in the democratic process and guard against misinformation and digital disinformation.
“This country belongs to young Nigerians, and they must not relent in working for the Nigeria they desire,” he said.
He added that citizens had a responsibility to verify information before sharing it.
“Misinformation remains one of the greatest threats to our democracy. Citizens must verify information before acting or sharing, and give our democracy the chance to succeed,” he said.
The 2027 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.
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