ABUJA, Nigeria — The Independent National Electoral Commission is considering a comprehensive audit of its electoral technology systems and a mock presidential election ahead of the 2027 general election to test the reliability of its processes and technology, INEC Chairman Prof. Joash Amupitan has disclosed.
Amupitan made the disclosure on Thursday while receiving the British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Dr Richard Montgomery, on a courtesy visit to the commission’s headquarters in Abuja. According to a statement posted on INEC’s official X page, the proposals were under consideration by the commission and were informed by concerns arising from the 2023 general election, particularly regarding the reliability of election technology.
“One of the things we are trying to do before the election is to have a mock presidential election, so that we are sure that this transmission across the states must not fail,” Amupitan said. He explained that while the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) was piloted during off-cycle governorship elections in Osun and Ekiti before the 2023 general elections, the nationwide presidential poll exposed gaps in large-scale stress testing across states.
The INEC chairman noted that the proposed exercises were not originally captured in the commission’s budget, but said INEC would explore ways to implement them if necessary, given their potential to strengthen the credibility of the general election. “It was not originally in our budget, but if we need to get assistance in that direction, that can help us ahead of the election,” he stated.
The commission has also undertaken comprehensive reviews of its cybersecurity architecture, covering system redundancy, penetration testing, and disaster recovery mechanisms. Amupitan said INEC had opted to improve on its existing platforms rather than overhaul them outright, including the rollout of self-service, online voter registration that eliminates the need for prospective voters to visit registration offices physically.
The INEC chairman expressed confidence that the technical glitches experienced during the 2023 presidential election would not recur. “The glitch is eliminated. By God’s grace, it will not surface in Nigeria,” he said. He assured Nigerians that the 2027 election would be the best the country has ever had.
On the issue of public trust, Amupitan acknowledged that confidence remained low but expressed optimism that the credibility of the elections would help rebuild faith in the process. He also raised concerns over disinformation and the criminal deployment of Artificial Intelligence in the electoral process, noting that INEC was looking to its partners, including the United Kingdom, for support in tackling the problem.
The British High Commissioner, Dr Richard Montgomery, assured the commission of the UK’s continued support and expressed confidence that his successor would sustain the partnership with INEC ahead of the 2027 general election.
