By Stella Odueme
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has fixed November 28, 2026, for a nationwide mock accreditation exercise to test its upgraded electoral technology ahead of the 2027 general elections.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, announced this on Thursday, while speaking at a high-level dialogue organised by Chatham House in partnership with the Kimpact Development Initiative (KDI) in London.
Speaking on the theme, “Nigeria’s 2027 Elections: Democratic Trajectory and Regional Stability Beyond the Ballot,” Amupitan urged Nigerians to trust his leadership to deliver free, fair and credible elections.
He acknowledged that the controversies surrounding the 2023 presidential election had significantly damaged public confidence in the Commission, but said INEC had introduced measures to address identified shortcomings.
The INEC chairman cited improvements recorded in recent off-cycle elections, including the governorship elections in Anambra and Osun states, where results were declared the day after voting.
He identified insecurity, logistics and result management as the Commission’s major priorities ahead of the 2027 elections.
Amupitan disclosed that INEC had introduced technical safeguards to prevent inaccurate results and figures reflecting over-voting from being uploaded to its Result Viewing Portal (IReV).
According to him, the Commission's post-2023 assessment identified collation centres as the major source of result management challenges.
On the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), he said INEC had upgraded its infrastructure, procured additional devices and reduced the maximum number of voters assigned to each machine from 1,250 to 850.
He added that climate-controlled storage facilities were also being constructed across the states to prevent equipment malfunctions associated with extreme temperatures.
Regarding funding, Amupitan said the Commission had received a substantial portion of its 2027 election budget, while assurances had been given that the outstanding balance would be released before the end of November.
He also dismissed allegations questioning his neutrality over claims linking his phone number to a controversial X account, stating that 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.
The INEC chairman further urged Nigerians, particularly youths, to participate actively in the electoral process and guard against misinformation and digital disinformation.
The 2027 presidential and National Assembly elections are scheduled for January 16, while governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections will hold on February 6.
The Commission disclosed these developments in its Daily Bulletin, on Friday.