The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, has described the successful conduct of the Osun State governorship election as a model that will guide the Commission’s preparations for the 2027 General Election.
Amupitan also announced plans to conduct a nationwide mock accreditation exercise in November 2026 to test INEC’s readiness ahead of the 2027 polls.
He made this known on Friday, August 21, during separate courtesy visits to the Commission’s headquarters in Abuja by the Chargé d’Affaires of the Canadian High Commission to Nigeria, Mr David Sproule, and the Country Representative of Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, KAS, Mr Moritz Sprenker.
According to the INEC chairman, the Osun governorship election held on August 15, 2026, highlighted the importance of effective planning, reliable technology and efficient field operations.
He said that 3,556 of the state’s 3,763 polling units, representing 94.5 per cent, were ready for voter accreditation and voting by 8:30 a.m.
Amupitan attributed the performance to the effective deployment of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, BVAS, the smooth uploading of results to the INEC Result Viewing, IReV, portal, and the ability of field officials to respond quickly to challenges.
“We regard the success in Osun not as a final goal, but as the benchmark that will inform our preparations for 2027,” Amupitan said.
He disclosed that the planned mock accreditation exercise would serve as a nationwide test of the BVAS and other aspects of the Commission’s electoral preparations.
According to him, the exercise is intended to identify and address potential challenges before the 2027 General Election.
The INEC boss also thanked Canada for its continued support and partnership with the Commission.
On voter revalidation, Amupitan said the exercise remained necessary, particularly because many Nigerians registered to vote several years ago, including elderly citizens whose records may require validation.
He, however, explained that the exercise could not be completed before the 2027 elections due to the limited time available.
Amupitan noted that the Commission was already working within a busy election timetable, with the Presidential and National Assembly elections scheduled for January 16, 2027, while the Governorship and State House of Assembly polls are expected to hold on February 6, 2027.
He added that public campaigns and rallies for the 2027 General Election officially commenced on August 19, 2026.
The INEC chairman also recalled the Commission’s participation alongside presidential candidates and political party leaders at the signing of the inaugural National Peace Accord organised by the National Peace Committee, which emphasised issue-based campaigns.
While receiving the Canadian delegation, Amupitan said the visit reflected the longstanding relationship between Nigeria and Canada, particularly in promoting democracy, the rule of law and good governance.
He commended Canada’s support for electoral administration, civic education, institutional development and gender inclusion in Nigeria.
The INEC chairman identified several areas where further collaboration with Canada could be strengthened, including building on the technological progress recorded during the Osun election, promoting greater participation by women, youths, persons with disabilities and other underrepresented groups, strengthening institutional capacity and tackling election-related misinformation.
He also listed support for the forthcoming mock accreditation exercise as another important area of cooperation.
Earlier, Sproule praised INEC’s efforts to conduct free and credible elections and assured the Commission of Canada’s willingness to provide support where necessary, including in election observation.
He also stressed the importance of encouraging greater participation by women and other groups in Nigeria’s electoral process.
In a separate meeting with the new KAS Country Representative, Sprenker, Amupitan described the organisation as a long-standing partner of INEC and acknowledged its contributions to democracy, good governance and the rule of law.
He noted that INEC and KAS had previously worked together on regulatory frameworks for political parties, including technical retreats in Uyo and Lagos that contributed to the Commission’s preparations for the Osun election.
Amupitan said future areas of collaboration would include civic education, strengthening democratic culture, electoral technology, institutional capacity-building, fighting misinformation, promoting inclusivity and improving cooperation among relevant agencies to ensure peaceful elections.
Sprenker, in his response, said KAS operates in more than 100 countries and has maintained a presence in Nigeria for over 25 years.
He recalled a procurement capacity-building workshop organised with INEC in Lagos in March 2026 and reaffirmed the Foundation’s commitment to continuing its partnership with the Commission.
Amupitan used both meetings to reassure the international community that INEC remained independent, impartial and committed to credible elections as it prepares for the deployment of about 1.4 million ad hoc personnel across more than 176,000 polling units nationwide for the 2027 General Election.
BACKSTORY:
The planned nationwide mock accreditation exercise is part of INEC’s early preparations for Nigeria’s 2027 General Election. The exercise is expected to test the functionality and reliability of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) across the country before the main elections.
The development follows INEC’s conduct of the Osun State governorship election on August 15, 2026, which the Commission said recorded strong early deployment of election officials and technology across most polling units.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, said the experience from the Osun poll would serve as a benchmark for identifying what worked and areas that require improvement ahead of the nationwide elections.
The Commission is expected to conduct the Presidential and National Assembly elections on January 16, 2027, followed by the Governorship and State House of Assembly elections on February 6, 2027.
As part of its preparations, INEC is also focusing on improving election technology, strengthening logistics, tackling misinformation and promoting the participation of women, youths, persons with disabilities and other underrepresented groups.
The November mock accreditation is therefore expected to serve as a major test run for INEC as it prepares to deploy electoral personnel and technology across more than 176,000 polling units nationwide.
