INEC Plans Mock Presidential Election for November 28 Ahead of 2027 Polls

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has scheduled a mock accreditation and voting exercise for November 28, 2026. This event is part of the preparations for the 2027 general elections, aimed at testing improvements to its voter accreditation and electronic results systems.

INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, announced the mock election during a discussion in London. He explained that this exercise will help the commission evaluate how well its systems work before the actual elections. The commission is also distributing non-sensitive materials to various states as part of its preparations.

Amupitan noted that the mock election will simulate the presidential election process. He emphasized that the commission has put in place technical measures to ensure that inaccurate results are not uploaded to its result portal. He said the main issues with election result management were found to occur at collation centers, rather than polling units.

In response to past problems with the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), INEC is creating climate-controlled storage for the devices to protect them from extreme temperatures. The commission has also purchased more BVAS machines and reduced the number of registered voters assigned to each device.

Amupitan expressed hope that the remaining funds needed for the elections would be released soon, which are essential for recruiting and supporting temporary election staff. He acknowledged the public’s trust issues following the controversies from the 2023 elections but pointed to recent successful elections as evidence of improvements.

Additionally, INEC is working on ensuring that eligible voters receive their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) in time for the elections. The commission is also conducting training for its staff to enhance their readiness. The next presidential and National Assembly elections are set for January 16, 2027, and the governorship elections will take place on February 6, 2027.