The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has formally launched preparations for the 2027 general elections, unveiling a landmark mock election designed to rigorously test and verify its electronic transmission systems.
The announcement was made on Friday, February 13, 2026, during a news conference in Abuja by INEC Chairman Professor Joash Amupitan, SAN.
Professor Amupitan stated that the mock exercise, scheduled to take place in selected states later this year, will simulate real polling unit conditions, including the use of Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) devices, the IReV portal, and real-time transmission of results from polling units to collation centres and the national server.
“This mock presidential election is a critical milestone in our readiness roadmap. It will allow us to identify and resolve any technical, logistical or human challenges in electronic transmission before the actual polls. We are committed to delivering transparent, credible and technologically-driven elections in 2027,” the INEC Chairman said.
He emphasised that the exercise will involve multiple scenarios, including network failures, power outages, high voter turnout, and security challenges, to ensure robustness of the system.
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The announcement comes amid ongoing debates in the National Assembly over the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill, with civil society groups and opposition parties pushing for mandatory real-time electronic transmission without discretionary fallback. INEC has repeatedly assured stakeholders that it is technically prepared for full electronic transmission, subject to the final provisions of the law.
Professor Amupitan also revealed that INEC has begun procurement of additional BVAS units, training of ad-hoc staff and voter education campaigns, while urging political parties to begin internal preparations.
The commission will release further details on the mock election states, date and participation guidelines in the coming weeks.
By Ogungbayi Beedee Adeyemi
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