The Independent National Electoral Commission will hold a mock presidential election with a view to strengthening preparations for the 2027 general election and undertake a comprehensive audit of its electoral technology systems.
The Chairman of the commission, Prof Joash Amupitan (SAN), revealed this on Thursday when he hosted visiting British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Dr Richard Montgomery, at the commission’s headquarters in Abuja.
Amupitan said the plan was as a result of concerns from the 2023 general election, particularly over the reliability of election technology.
Amupitan said the proposed mock election and auditing were not initially included in the commission’s budget, adding, however, that the commission would find means to implement them because of their potential to strengthen the credibility of the elections.
He said the plan was part of the commission’s broader efforts to improve technological reliability, including the continued deployment of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System and its Result Viewing Portal, just as it is urgently reviewing its cyber-security architecture covering system redundancy, penetration testing and disaster recovery mechanisms.
According to Amupitan, public confidence in the electoral process depended largely 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.”
The chairman said election technology and cyber-security were key areas of collaboration between INEC and the United Kingdom, adding that the commission values its technical partnership with the UK and other international partners, including the International Foundation for Electoral Systems, in strengthening Nigeria’s electoral process.
He said the commission was committed to delivering credible, transparent and inclusive elections, adding “wlectoral credibility remained a shared responsibility requiring the cooperation of political parties, security agencies, civil society, development partners and citizens.”
Earlier, Montgomery said the UK had been closely monitoring INEC’s preparations for the 2027 general election, in view of the developments from the recent off-cycle elections in Ekiti and Anambra States and the Federal Capital Territory as well as preparations for the Osun State governorship election.
He said the UK Government was interested in Nigeria’s democratic process, citing the strategic partnership signed by both countries in 2024 and President Bola Tinubu’s state visit to the United Kingdom in March.
Montgomery said he would conclude his tenure in about six weeks and assured INEC of continued British support under his successor.
He said the incoming British High Commissioner would sustain a productive working relationship with the commission in the build-up to the 2027 general election.
