Mock accreditation’ll test BVAS strength for 2027 poll – Amupitan

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The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, has said the nationwide mock accreditation exercise scheduled for November 2026 will serve as a rigorous field test of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System.

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Amupitan said the exercise was part of measures to test the commission’s preparedness and strengthen the deployment of technology ahead of the 2027 general election.

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The INEC chairman disclosed this on Friday in Abuja while separately receiving the Chargé d’Affaires of the Canadian High Commission to Nigeria, Mr David Sproule, and the Country Representative of the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, Mr Moritz Sprenker, who were on courtesy visits to the Commission’s headquarters.

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Amupitan said the mock accreditation would also help the commission identify and address possible gaps before the 2027 elections.

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He said the planned exercise would build on the lessons from the recently concluded Osun State governorship election, which he described as a benchmark for the commission’s preparations for the 2027 elections.

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He added that beyond the Osun success, the commission would in November 2026 conduct a mock accreditation exercise as part of preparations for the general election, describing it as a rigorous field test of the BVAS to fortify the sanctity of the ballot before the 2027 election.

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“We will be conducting mock accreditation in November 2026 to assess our readiness for the general election. We will be subjecting our electoral equipment, the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), to a rigorous field test to fortify the sanctity of the ballot during the election,” Amupitan said.

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He also appreciated Canada’s continued partnership with INEC in ensuring the success of the exercise.

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He appealed for Canada’s partnership to ensure the success of the exercise, adding that INEC had intensified preparations for the 2027 elections.

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The Osun governorship election, which held on Saturday, August 15, 2026, was described by the INEC Chairman as a “gold standard” for electoral administration, following the Commission’s assessment of its performance during the poll.

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According to Amupitan, 3,556 of the 3,763 polling units in the state, representing 94.5 per cent, opened for accreditation and voting by 8:30 am.

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He attributed the outcome to optimal field performance of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, seamless transmission of results to the INEC Result Viewing portal and proactive crisis management by field officials.

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“We view the success in Osun not as a final destination, but as the gold standard that will guide our preparations for 2027,” the INEC chairman said.

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Amupitan said the commission would draw from the experience to consolidate the gains recorded in the deployment of electoral technology and improve its preparations for the 2027 general election.

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He 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.

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According to him, the exercise could not be conducted ahead of the 2027 general election because of time constraints, but remained necessary to prevent delays in future electoral processes.

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The INEC chairman noted that the engagements with the Canadian delegation and KAS came at a pivotal point in the commission’s electoral calendar, with the Presidential and National Assembly elections scheduled for Saturday, January 16, 2027, and the governorship and House of Assembly elections slated for February 6, 2027.

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He recalled that Wednesday, August 19, 2026, marked the official commencement of public campaigns and rallies for the 2027 general election.

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Amupitan also noted 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.

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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.

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He commended Canada’s sustained support for electoral governance, civic education, institutional strengthening and gender inclusion in Nigeria.

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Amupitan outlined five areas of shared strategic priority with the Canadian delegation, including consolidating the technological gains recorded in Osun, and deepening electoral inclusivity for persons with disabilities, women, youth and underrepresented groups across the commission’s 176,000 polling units.

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“Electoral administration is a multi-stakeholder enterprise. While INEC remains an unbiased umpire, support from domestic and international partners helps ensure our democratic processes evolve in step with global best practices,” Amupitan said.

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The INEC chairman also informed the commission’s guests that it had established a dedicated Artificial Intelligence Unit to strengthen data management, voter registration and results transmission, while guarding against the misuse of such technologies.

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He said the commission was eager to participate in the Global Conference on Responsible AI and Elections scheduled for September 9 to 11, 2026, in Ottawa, Canada.

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Earlier, Sproule commended INEC’s commitment to a free and credible electoral process and reaffirmed Canada’s readiness to support the commission in areas it deemed necessary, including election observation.

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He expressed particular interest in the active participation of women and other segments of society in the electoral process, and said Canada was confident in the Commission’s capacity to conduct credible elections.

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In a related engagement, Amupitan received Sprenker, the newly appointed Country Representative of the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, congratulating him on his appointment.

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He described KAS as a longstanding partner of the Commission and commended the Foundation’s contributions to constitutional democracy, the rule of law and good governance globally.

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The INEC chairman noted that the commission 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.

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Responding, 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.

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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.

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