From Atiku Sarki, Abuja
The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, has announced that the Commission will conduct a nationwide mock accreditation exercise in November 2026 to test its full readiness ahead of the 2027 General Election.
The Chairman also described the Commission’s conduct of the Osun State governorship election as a benchmark in electoral administration.
Prof. Amupitan disclosed this while receiving the Chargé d’Affaires of the Canadian High Commission to Nigeria, Mr David Sproule, and the Country Representative of the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS), Mr Moritz Sprenker, who paid separate courtesy visits to the Commission’s headquarters in Abuja on Friday.
According to the INEC Chairman, the Osun election, conducted on Saturday, 15 August 2026, demonstrated what he described as the “fruits of administrative foresight and technological reliability.”
He noted that 3,556 out of the 3,763 polling units in the state, representing 94.5 per cent, opened for accreditation and voting by 8:30 a.m.
He attributed the outcome to the optimal field performance of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), seamless transmission of results to the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal, and proactive crisis management by field officials.
“We view the success in Osun not as a final destination, but as the gold standard that will guide our preparations for 2027,” the Chairman said.
Beyond the Osun election, Prof. Amupitan said the Commission would conduct a mock accreditation exercise nationwide in November 2026 as part of preparations for the general election.
He described the exercise as a rigorous field test of the BVAS aimed at strengthening the integrity of the electoral process ahead of the 2027 election.
He also appreciated Canada’s continued partnership in ensuring the success of the exercise.
Prof. Amupitan also spoke on the need for a voter revalidation exercise, explaining that a significant number of voters, particularly elderly citizens who registered as far back as 2011, would need to have their records validated.
The INEC Chairman noted that both engagements came at a pivotal point in the Commission’s electoral calendar, with the Presidential and National Assembly elections scheduled for Saturday, 16 January 2027, while the Governorship and House of Assembly elections are slated for 6 February 2027.
He recalled that Wednesday, 19 August 2026, marked the official commencement of public campaigns and rallies for the 2027 General Election.
He added that the Commission had, days earlier, joined presidential candidates and party chairmen at the National Peace Committee’s signing of the first National Peace Accord on issue-based campaigning.
Receiving the Canadian delegation, the INEC Chairman said the visit reinforced the long-standing bilateral relationship between Nigeria and Canada, anchored on democratic values, the rule of law and good governance.
He commended Canada’s sustained support for electoral governance, civic education, institutional strengthening and gender inclusion in Nigeria.
He outlined five areas of shared strategic priority with the Canadian delegation: consolidating the technological gains recorded in Osun; deepening electoral inclusivity for persons with disabilities, women, youth and other underrepresented groups across the Commission’s 176,000 polling units; strengthening institutional capacity through technical assistance and training; countering election-related misinformation; and conducting the planned mock accreditation exercise.
The INEC Chairman informed the Commission’s guests that it had established a dedicated Artificial Intelligence (AI) Unit to strengthen data management, voter registration and results transmission, while guarding against the misuse of such technologies.
Earlier, Mr Sproule commended INEC’s commitment to a free and credible electoral process and reaffirmed Canada’s readiness to support the Commission in areas it deems necessary, including election observation.
He expressed particular interest in the active participation of women and other segments of society in the electoral process, saying Canada was confident in the Commission’s capacity to conduct credible elections.
In a related engagement, the INEC Chairman also received Mr Moritz Sprenker, the newly appointed Country Representative of the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS), and congratulated him on his appointment.
Describing KAS as a longstanding partner of the Commission, Prof. Amupitan commended the Foundation’s contributions to constitutional democracy, the rule of law and good governance globally.
He noted that INEC and KAS had collaborated on regulatory frameworks for political parties, including technical retreats held in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, and Lagos, which he said contributed to the Commission’s preparations for the Osun election.
He listed strategic priorities for continued collaboration with KAS to include civic education and democratic culture, electoral technology, institutional capacity building, countering misinformation, deepening inclusivity for persons with disabilities and marginalised groups, and inter-agency dialogue for peaceful electoral processes.
Responding, Mr Sprenker said KAS was active in more than 100 countries and had worked in Nigeria for over 25 years across government, civil society, academia and the media.
He recalled a capacity-building workshop on procurement held with INEC in Lagos in March 2026 and expressed KAS’s continued interest in strengthening its partnership with the Commission.
Prof. Amupitan used both engagements to reassure the international community of INEC’s independence, neutrality and commitment to democratic integrity as the Commission scales up its logistical capacity to deploy approximately 1.4 million ad hoc personnel across more than 176,000 polling units nationwide for the 2027 General Election.
