The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said it might hold mock presidential election, as well as conduct a comprehensive audit of all its electoral technology systems, as part of preparations for the 2027 general election.
The Chairman of the Commission, Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, who disclosed this on Thursday when he played host to the British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Dr. Richard Montgomery, said the proposals were informed by concerns arising from the 2023 general election, particularly regarding the reliability of election technology.
Prof. Amupitan stated that the auditing and a mock presidential election, would be to test the readiness of the commission’s processes and technology before the actual polls.
He linked the proposals to INEC’s broader efforts at technological reliability, which he explained, include continued deployment of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV), as well as an ongoing review of the commission’s cyber-security architecture covering system redundancy, penetration testing and disaster recovery mechanisms.
Prof. Amupitan noted that public confidence in the electoral process depended significantly on the reliability of the commission’s technology and processes, and assured that INEC remained committed to addressing any gaps identified from previous elections ahead of 2027.
The INEC Chairman listed election technology and cyber-security as one of the key areas of continued collaboration between the commission and the United Kingdom, noting that the electoral body valued the technical partnership it had enjoyed with the UK and other international partners, including the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES), in strengthening its electoral processes.
He reaffirmed the INEC’s commitment to delivering elections that are credible, transparent and reflective of the will of Nigerians.
According to him, electoral credibility remained a shared responsibility requiring the cooperation of political parties, security agencies, civil society, development partners and citizens.
Dr. Montgomery had told the INEC Chairman that his team had been keenly following INEC’s preparations for the 2027 general election, including updates on the recent off-cycle elections in Ekiti, the Federal Capital Territory and Anambra, as well as ongoing preparations for the Osun State governorship election.
He described the UK government’s interest in Nigeria’s democratic process as a demonstration of both moral and practical support, citing the strategic partnership signed by the two governments in 2024 and President Bola Tinubu’s recent state visit to the United Kingdom.
The High Commissioner, who disclosed that he would be concluding his tenure in about six weeks, assured INEC of continued British support under his successor.
He expressing confidence that the incoming High Commissioner would sustain a productive working relationship with INEC in the run-up to the 2027 general election.
