2027: INEC to conduct mock presidential poll

•To audit systems too

ABUJA — THE Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, yesterday, disclosed that it is considering conducting a comprehensive audit of all its electoral technology systems, alongside a mock presidential election, as part of measures to strengthen preparations for the 2027 general elections.

Chairman of the Commission, Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, disclosed this while receiving the British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Dr Richard Montgomery, on a courtesy visit to the Commission’s headquarters in Abuja.

The INEC boss said the proposals, which were under consideration by the Commission that same day, were informed by concerns arising from the 2023 general elections, particularly regarding the reliability of election technology.

According to him, the Commission was 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 polls.

Amupitan noted that the proposed exercises were not originally captured in the Commission’s budget, but stressed that INEC would explore ways to actualise them if required, given their potential value in strengthening the credibility of the general elections.

He linked the proposals to the Commission’s broader efforts at technological reliability, which 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.

The INEC Chairman explained that public confidence in the electoral process depended significantly on the reliability of the Commission’s technology and processes, adding that INEC remained committed to addressing any gaps identified from previous elections ahead of 2027.

He listed election technology and cyber-security as one of the key areas of continued collaboration between INEC and the United Kingdom, noting that the Commission 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 Commission’s commitment to delivering elections that are credible, transparent and reflective of the will of Nigerians, stating that electoral credibility remained a shared responsibility requiring the cooperation of political parties, security agencies, civil society, development partners and citizens.

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