INEC mulls mock presidential election ahead of 2027 polls

… UK is closely monitoring your preparations — Envoy

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has revealed that it is considering a full audit of all its electoral technology systems and the conduct of a mock presidential election as part of preparations for the 2027 general election.

INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, disclosed this on Thursday during a courtesy visit by the British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Dr Richard Montgomery, to the Commission’s headquarters in Abuja.

Amupitan said the proposals were being considered that same day and were driven by lessons from the 2023 general election, especially concerns around the reliability of election technology.

According to him, the Commission is looking at the possibility of auditing all its systems ahead of the 2027 election, as well as conducting a mock presidential election to test the readiness of its processes and technology before the actual polls.

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He noted that the exercises were not originally captured in INEC’s budget, but stressed that the Commission would explore ways to fund them if necessary, given their importance to the credibility of the polls.

“Public confidence in the electoral process depends significantly on the reliability of the Commission’s technology and processes,” he said, adding that INEC remains committed to closing gaps identified from previous elections ahead of 2027.

The Chairman linked the proposals to INEC’s broader push for technological reliability, which includes continued deployment of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV), as well as a review of the Commission’s cyber-security architecture covering system redundancy, penetration testing and disaster recovery.

He listed election technology and cyber-security as key areas of ongoing collaboration between INEC and the United Kingdom, and acknowledged the technical support received from the UK and other partners such as the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES).

Amupitan reaffirmed INEC’s commitment to delivering elections that are credible, transparent and reflective of the will of Nigerians, noting that electoral credibility “remains a shared responsibility requiring the cooperation of political parties, security agencies, civil society, development partners and citizens.”

Earlier, Montgomery said the UK Government has been closely monitoring INEC’s preparations for 2027, including recent off-cycle elections in Ekiti, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and Anambra, as well as ongoing preparations for the Osun State governorship election.

He described Britain’s interest in Nigeria’s democracy as both moral and practical support, referencing the strategic partnership signed by both countries in 2024 and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s state visit to the UK in March.

The High Commissioner, who said he would be rounding off his tenure in about six weeks, assured INEC of continued British support under his successor and expressed confidence that the incoming High Commissioner would maintain a productive working relationship with the Commission ahead of 2027.