The exercise will simulate a presidential election and test voter accreditation and electronic result transmission in every state, as the commission works to address technical and operational weaknesses identified after the 2023 polls.
By: Amarachi Odenigbo
ABUJA, Nigeria — November 13, 2026
Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) will conduct a nationwide mock accreditation exercise on November 28 to test its voter accreditation and electronic result transmission systems ahead of the 2027 general elections.
INEC Chairman Joash Amupitan announced the plan on Thursday during a high-level dialogue at Chatham House in London, organised in partnership with the Kimpact Development Initiative. The discussion focused on Nigeria’s 2027 elections, democratic development and regional stability.
“On the 28th of this month, we will conduct a mock accreditation across all states of the federation to simulate the presidential election and verify that we have gotten both accreditation and electronic result transmission right,” Amupitan said.
INEC expands BVAS capacity and reduces voter load
Amupitan said the exercise is part of measures to strengthen election credibility and address technical problems encountered during the 2023 general elections.
The commission has procured additional Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) devices and reduced the maximum number of registered voters assigned to each machine from 1,250 to 850, he said. Polling units with more than 850 registered voters will be supplied with multiple devices.
INEC is also constructing climate-controlled storage facilities in every state. Amupitan said the facilities are intended to address previous BVAS malfunctions associated with extreme heat and storage conditions.
New safeguards planned for electronic results
On electronic result transmission, the INEC chairman said the commission had introduced safeguards to prevent inaccurate results and figures indicating over-voting from being uploaded to its Result Viewing Portal, known as IReV.
He said a post-election review of the 2023 polls found that the most significant result-management failures occurred at collation centres rather than at polling units.
With limited time before the 2027 elections, Amupitan said INEC had chosen to upgrade its existing electoral technology rather than introduce an entirely new system.
He identified insecurity, logistics and result management as the commission’s three main priorities for the next election cycle.
INEC awaits remaining election funds
Amupitan said INEC had received a substantial portion of its budget for the 2027 elections but was awaiting the outstanding balance. He said part of the funding would support the recruitment and welfare of ad hoc election personnel.
The chairman said the commission had received assurances that the remaining funds would be released before the end of November.
Nigeria’s 2027 Presidential and National Assembly elections are scheduled for January 16, while Governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections are due to take place on February 6.
The November 28 mock exercise will provide INEC with an opportunity to assess its accreditation devices and electronic result transmission arrangements before the 2027 polls. The commission says it is also addressing equipment capacity, storage conditions, result management, logistics and funding as it prepares for the elections.
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