The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has scheduled a nationwide mock accreditation exercise for November 2026 as part of preparations for the 2027 general elections.
INEC Chairman, Joash Amupitan, said the exercise would test the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and other electoral equipment while helping the Commission identify and resolve potential operational challenges before the polls.
Amupitan disclosed this on Friday when he received a delegation from the Canadian High Commission, led by Canada’s Chargé d’Affaires to Nigeria, David Sproule, at the Commission’s headquarters in Abuja.
He said the mock exercise was one of five strategic priorities adopted by INEC ahead of the elections. Others include consolidating technological gains, expanding electoral inclusion, strengthening institutional capacity and technical support, and tackling misinformation while protecting electoral integrity.
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The INEC chairman described recent off-cycle elections, including those in Anambra, Ekiti, the Federal Capital Territory and Osun, as important platforms for testing electoral reforms and improving operations.
He cited the August 15, 2026 Osun governorship election as a key benchmark, noting that 3,556 of 3,763 polling units, representing 94.5 per cent, opened for accreditation and voting by 8:30 a.m.
Amupitan also disclosed that INEC would require about 1.4 million ad-hoc personnel to conduct the 2027 elections across more than 176,000 polling units nationwide.
He added that the Commission had established a dedicated Artificial Intelligence unit to explore responsible applications of AI in voter registration, data management and results transmission, while strengthening measures against deepfakes and disinformation.
The Canadian delegation reaffirmed Canada’s commitment to supporting Nigeria’s democratic process, particularly in electoral participation, women’s inclusion, public awareness, technical assistance and election observation.
