The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has fixed November 28, 2026, for a nationwide mock accreditation exercise to test its voter accreditation and electronic result transmission systems ahead of the 2027 general elections. INEC Chairman, Joash Amupitan, announced this on Thursday in London during a high-level dialogue at Chatham House, organised in partnership with the […]
The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has fixed November 28, 2026, for a nationwide mock accreditation exercise to test its voter accreditation and electronic result transmission systems ahead of the 2027 general elections.
INEC Chairman, Joash Amupitan, announced this on Thursday in London during a high-level dialogue at Chatham House, organised in partnership with the Kimpact Development Initiative.
Amupitan said the exercise would simulate the presidential election and take place across all states of the federation to assess the effectiveness of the commission’s accreditation and electronic result transmission systems.
He said the exercise was part of measures to address technical challenges experienced during the 2023 general elections and strengthen the credibility of the 2027 polls.
The INEC chairman disclosed that the commission had procured additional Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, BVAS, devices and reduced the maximum number of voters assigned to each machine from 1,250 to 850.
He added that polling units with more than 850 registered voters would be provided with multiple devices.
Amupitan also said INEC was constructing climate-controlled storage facilities in all states to prevent BVAS malfunctions previously linked to extreme heat and poor storage conditions during the 2023 elections.
On electronic result transmission, he said the commission had introduced technical safeguards to prevent inaccurate results and figures indicating over-voting from being uploaded to its Result Viewing Portal, IReV.
He identified insecurity, logistics and result management as the commission’s three major priorities ahead of the 2027 elections.
According to him, a post-2023 audit showed that the most significant failures in result management occurred at collation centres rather than polling units.
He added that INEC had decided to upgrade its existing electoral technology instead of introducing an entirely new system, citing the limited time before the 2027 elections.
The INEC chairman also confirmed that the commission had received a substantial portion of its 2027 election budget but was awaiting the outstanding balance, part of which would fund the recruitment and welfare of ad hoc election personnel.
He said assurances had been received that the outstanding funds would be released before the end of November.
The 2027 Presidential and National Assembly elections are scheduled for January 16, while the Governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections will hold on February 6.
ADBN TV is a dynamic digital broadcasting platform committed to delivering credible news, inspiring stories, and engaging programmes that inform, educate, and connect communities across Nigeria and beyond.
