By Stella Odueme
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has introduced new technical safeguards to prevent inaccurate election results and figures reflecting over-voting from being uploaded to its Result Viewing Portal (IReV) ahead of the 2027 general elections.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, disclosed this on Thursday during a high-level dialogue organised by Chatham House in partnership with the Kimpact Development Initiative (KDI) in London.
AThe dialogue was held under the theme, “Nigeria’s 2027 Elections: Democratic Trajectory and Regional Stability Beyond the Ballot.”
According to his Chief Press Secretary and Media Adviser, Adedayo Oketola, in a statement, Amupitan said the measures were part of efforts to address the credibility concerns that trailed the 2023 general elections and restore public confidence in the electoral process.
Acknowledging that the 2023 presidential election created a significant trust deficit for the Commission, he said INEC had used subsequent off-cycle elections to identify operational weaknesses and strengthen its electoral processes.
He cited the governorship elections in Anambra, Osun and Ekiti states, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Area Council elections and 16 legislative by-elections as evidence of improvements in the Commission's operations.
According to him, the recent elections in Anambra and Osun recorded improvements, with results declared the day after voting, unlike previous experiences in which governorship elections in the states were prolonged.
The INEC chairman identified insecurity, logistics and result management as the Commission's major priorities ahead of the 2027 elections.
He explained that a post-election assessment of the 2023 exercise showed that some of the major challenges occurred at collation centres rather than polling units.
To address this, he said the Commission had introduced validation mechanisms to ensure that inaccurate results and figures indicating over-voting would not be transmitted to IReV.
Amupitan also disclosed that INEC had upgraded its Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) to address previous technical challenges associated with extreme heat and storage conditions.
He said the Commission was establishing climate-controlled storage facilities across the states and had procured additional BVAS devices.
He added that the maximum number of voters assigned to a BVAS device had been reduced from 1,250 to 850 to improve efficiency during accreditation.
As part of efforts to test the new measures, the INEC chairman announced that a nationwide mock accreditation and voting exercise would take place on November 28, 2026.
On election funding, Amupitan said INEC had received a substantial portion of its 2027 election budget but was awaiting the release of the outstanding balance.
He expressed optimism that the funds, including allocations for the recruitment and welfare of ad hoc election personnel, would be released before the end of November.
The chairman also dismissed allegations questioning his political neutrality following claims linking his phone number to a controversial X account.
He denied operating an X account and disclosed that the matter had been referred to the Department of State Services and the Inspector-General of Police for investigation following an independent forensic review.
Amupitan further defended his previous legal engagements in political disputes, insisting that his professional responsibilities as a Senior Advocate of Nigeria before his appointment would not compromise his neutrality.
He maintained that his loyalty was to the Nigerian Constitution and the Electoral Act.
On allegations of irregularities in the voter register, including claims of an 85 per cent increase in registrants in a ward in Ebonyi State, he said the Commission had investigated and resolved the complaint in accordance with established procedures.
He urged Nigerian youths to participate actively in the democratic 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.