By Omeiza Ajayi
The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has disclosed plans to conduct a mock accreditation exercise in November 2026 as part of its preparations for the 2027 General Election. INEC chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, SAN, disclosed this on Friday while welcoming a delegation from the Canadian High Commission on a courtesy visit to the commission’s headquarters. Amupitan said the exercise, which will subject the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System BVAS to a rigorous field test, was designed to fortify the sanctity of the ballot during the general election. He said, “Conduct of 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.
We will appreciate your partnership in ensuring the success of this Mock Accreditation.”
The INEC boss restated that the Presidential and National Assembly elections would take place on Saturday, 16th January, 2027, while the Governorship and House of Assembly elections are slated for 6th February, 2027. He said the Commission remained focused on shared priorities, including “enhancing voter participation, ensuring the security of the ballot, and building public trust in the electoral system.”
Amupitan cited the Osun State governorship election of Saturday, 15th August 2026, as a benchmark for the Commission’s operational readiness ahead of the mock accreditation and the general election proper. He said, “Through early morning logistics deployment—where 3,556 out of 3,763 Polling Units (94.5%) opened for accreditation and voting precisely by 8:30 a.m.—optimal BVAS field performance, seamless result upload on the IReV portal, and proactive crisis management, Osun demonstrated what is possible when administrative foresight meets technological fortitude.” He added that the Commission viewed the success in Osun “not as a final destination, but as the gold standard that will guide our preparations for 2027.”
He noted that Wednesday, 19th August 2026, marked the official statutory commencement of public campaigns and rallies for the 2027 General Election, and that the Commission had, on Tuesday, 18th August 2026, joined presidential candidates at the National Peace Committee’s signing of the First National Peace Accord on Issue-Based Campaigns.
Speaking further on the Commission’s scope of preparation for next year’s polls, Amupitan disclosed that INEC would deploy a workforce of approximately 1.4 million ad-hoc personnel across more than 176,000 Polling Units nationwide, describing it as “one of the largest mobilisations of human resources for a national assignment in our country’s history.”
The INEC Chairman listed strategic priorities under discussion with the Canadian delegation to include consolidating technological gains, deepening electoral inclusivity for Persons with Disabilities (PWDs), women and youth, institutional capacity building, and countering misinformation ahead of the 2027 polls. He also disclosed that the Commission had established a dedicated Artificial Intelligence Unit to harness technology for data management, voter registration, and results transmission, while guarding against its misuse. Amupitan said INEC was eager to participate in the Global Conference on Responsible AI and Elections, organised by the United Nations Development Programme UNDP and Elections Canada, scheduled for 9th to 11th September 2026 in Ottawa, Canada. He sought Canada’s support in facilitating expedited visa processing for the INEC delegation to the Ottawa conference, even as he reassured the international community of the Commission’s neutrality.
