Nigeria’s electoral commission has scheduled a nationwide mock vote for November 28 to test its voting technology and electronic results transmission ahead of the country’s 2027 general election.
Joash Amupitan, chairperson of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), announced the exercise on Thursday during a dialogue on Nigeria’s democratic future at Chatham House in London.
He said the simulation would take place across all states, allowing the commission to assess its upgraded Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), voter accreditation procedures and electronic transmission of results.
“On the 28th of this month, we will conduct a mock accreditation and voting exercise across all states of the federation to simulate the presidential election,” Amupitan said.
Trust deficit
The exercise aims to address technical and operational challenges that undermined confidence in Nigeria’s 2023 general election, particularly controversies surrounding the electronic transmission of results.
Amupitan acknowledged that the 2023 elections had created a significant trust deficit, saying the commission had not fully recovered its public credibility.
INEC’s review identified problems at collation centres, where results from polling stations are compiled, prompting additional verification procedures before results are transmitted, he said.
The chairperson identified insecurity, logistics, and results management as the three main challenges facing the commission ahead of the elections.
Concerted effort
He said INEC was working with security agencies to protect election personnel and materials while improving arrangements to deliver equipment to polling stations on time.
Nigeria is scheduled to hold presidential and National Assembly elections on January 16, 2027, followed by governorship and state assembly elections on February 6.
