The Independent National Electoral Commission will conduct a nationwide mock accreditation exercise in November to test the reliability of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System ahead of the 2027 general elections.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, disclosed this on Friday in Abuja while receiving separate courtesy visits from the Chargé d’Affaires of the Canadian High Commission, David Sproule, and the Country Representative of the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, Moritz Sprenker.
Amupitan said the exercise would provide an opportunity for the commission to identify weaknesses in its electoral technology and address them before the 2027 polls.
He said, “We will be conducting mock accreditation in November 2026 to assess our readiness for the general election. We will be subjecting our electoral equipment, the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, to a rigorous field test to fortify the sanctity of the ballot during the election.”
The INEC chairman said the exercise would draw from lessons learnt during the August 15 Osun State governorship election, which he described as a benchmark for the commission’s preparations for 2027.
According to him, 3,556 of the 3,763 polling units in Osun, representing 94.5 per cent, commenced accreditation and voting by 8:30 am.
He attributed the performance to the effective deployment of BVAS, smooth transmission of results to the INEC Result Viewing portal and prompt intervention by electoral officials in managing emerging challenges.
Amupitan said, “We view the success in Osun not as a final destination, but as the gold standard that will guide our preparations for 2027.”
He added that the commission would use the experience from Osun to consolidate technological improvements and strengthen its overall electoral preparations.
The INEC chairman also said the commission recognised the need to revalidate voters’ records, particularly those of elderly voters who registered many years ago.
He explained, however, that the exercise could not be undertaken before the 2027 election because of limited time, but stressed that it remained important for improving future electoral processes.
Amupitan said the commission was also working to improve inclusion for women, youths, persons with disabilities and other underrepresented groups across the country’s polling units.
He noted that electoral management required cooperation among several stakeholders, with INEC maintaining its neutrality while benefiting from the support of domestic and international partners.
“Electoral administration is a multi-stakeholder enterprise. While INEC remains an unbiased umpire, support from domestic and international partners helps ensure our democratic processes evolve in step with global best practices,” he said.
The commission, according to Amupitan, has also established an Artificial Intelligence Unit to support data management, voter registration and results transmission while putting safeguards in place against potential misuse of the technology.
He said INEC looked forward to participating in the Global Conference on Responsible AI and Elections scheduled to hold in Ottawa, Canada, from September 9 to 11, 2026.
The chairman further disclosed that preparations for the 2027 elections had intensified, with the presidential and National Assembly elections scheduled for January 16, 2027, while governorship and State House of Assembly elections would follow on February 6.
He also recalled that political parties formally commenced public campaigns and rallies for the elections on August 19.
Responding, Sproule commended INEC’s efforts towards strengthening the electoral process and reaffirmed Canada’s willingness to support the commission, including through election observation.
He also expressed interest in measures aimed at increasing the participation of women and other groups in Nigeria’s electoral process.
Similarly, Sprenker reaffirmed the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung’s commitment to its partnership with INEC.
He said the foundation, which operates in more than 100 countries, had maintained activities in Nigeria for over two decades, supporting democratic institutions, civil society, academia and the media.
Both engagements, Amupitan said, reflected the importance of international partnerships as the commission continues its preparations for the 2027 general elections.
