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The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has tentatively fixed November this year as the date to conduct a mock accreditation exercise as part of its preparations for the 2027 general elections.
INEC Chairman, Joash Amupitan, SAN, made the disclosure on Friday in Abuja while receiving a delegation from the Canadian High Commission, which paid him a courtesy visit at the commission’s headquarters.
The electoral umpire boss explained that the exercise, which will subject the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) to a rigorous field test, was designed to fortify the sanctity of the ballot during the general elections.
His words: “We will conduct mock accreditation in November 2026 to assess our readiness for the general election. We will be subjecting our electoral equipment, the BVAS, to a rigorous field test to fortify the sanctity of the ballot during the election. We will appreciate your partnership in ensuring the success of this Mock Accreditation.”
Amupitan further restated that the presidential and National Assembly elections would take place on Saturday, January 16, 2027, while the governorship and House of Assembly elections are fixed for February 6, 2027.
He reassured that the commission remained focused on shared priorities, including “enhancing voter participation, ensuring the security of the ballot, and building public trust in the electoral system.”
While referencing the Osun State governorship election as a benchmark for the commission’s operational readiness ahead of the mock accreditation and the general election proper, Amupitan said: “Through early morning logistics deployment—where 3,556 out of 3,763 Polling Units (94.5%) opened for accreditation and voting precisely by 8:30 a.m.—optimal BVAS field performance, seamless result upload on the IReV portal, and proactive crisis management, Osun demonstrated what is possible when administrative foresight meets technological fortitude.” Amupitan equally added that the commission viewed the success in Osun “not as a final destination, but as the gold standard that will guide our preparations for 2027.”
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Recalling that Wednesday, 19th August 2026, marked the official statutory commencement of public campaigns and rallies for the 2027 general election, he said that the commission had, on Tuesday, 18th August 2026, joined presidential candidates at the National Peace Committee’s signing of the First National Peace Accord on Issue-Based Campaigns.
He spoke on the commission’s level of preparation for next year’s polls, re-emphasising that the commission would deploy a workforce of approximately 1.4 million ad hoc personnel across more than 176,000 Polling Units nationwide, describing it as “one of the largest mobilisations of human resources for a national assignment in our country’s history.”
He equally listed strategic priorities under discussion with the Canadian delegation to include consolidating technological gains, deepening electoral inclusivity for Persons with Disabilities (PWDs), women and youth, institutional capacity building, and countering misinformation ahead of the 2027 polls.
The electoral umpire boss also disclosed that the commission had established a dedicated Artificial Intelligence Unit to harness technology for data management, voter registration, and results transmission, while guarding against its misuse.
He said that INEC was eager to participate in the Global Conference on Responsible AI and Elections, organised by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Elections Canada, scheduled for 9th to 11th September 2026 in Ottawa, Canada.
He sought Canada’s support in facilitating expedited visa processing for the INEC delegation to the Ottawa conference, even as he reassured the international community of the commission’s neutrality.
