2027: INEC may conduct mock presidential poll to avoid repeat of 2023 flaws — Amupitan

The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan, has disclosed that the electoral body may conduct a mock presidential poll to avoid a repeat of the flaws of the 2023 presidential election.

Amupitan made this known when he received 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 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 polls.

Amupitan noted that the proposed exercises were not originally captured in the Commission’s budget, but stressed that INEC would explore ways to actualize 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 toward technological reliability.

These include the 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 cybersecurity architecture covering system redundancy, penetration testing, and disaster recovery mechanisms.

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

He listed election technology and cybersecurity as key areas of continued collaboration between INEC and the United Kingdom.

He noted that the Commission values the technical partnership it has 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 remains a shared responsibility requiring the cooperation of political parties, security agencies, civil society, development partners, and citizens.