The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has scheduled a nationwide mock accreditation and voting exercise for November 28, 2026, to test recent upgrades to its Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and electronic results transmission infrastructure ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The announcement comes as the commission confirmed it has commenced the distribution of non-sensitive electoral materials to several states across the country in preparation for the polls.
INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan (SAN), disclosed the date on Thursday, November 12, 2026, during a policy dialogue at Chatham House in London.
The event, organized in partnership with the Kimpact Development Initiative, was themed, “Nigeria’s 2027 Elections: Democratic Trajectory and Regional Stability Beyond the Ballot.”According to a press statement issued in Abuja and signed by the Chief Press Secretary and Media Adviser to the INEC Chairman, Adedayo Oketola, the November 28 exercise will simulate the presidential election across the federation.
It is designed to allow the commission to evaluate the operational efficiency of its accreditation devices and electronic transmission systems before the main elections.
Addressing past technological challenges during the 2023 elections, Amupitan stated that INEC has introduced strict technical safeguards on its Result Viewing Portal (IReV) to prevent inaccurate polling unit results and figures reflecting over-voting from being uploaded.
“In 2023, there were instances of inaccurate results or results with over-voting being uploaded onto IReV. We have now devised a technical safeguard: if a result is not accurate at the polling unit, it will not go to IReV at all,” the chairman explained.
The 2027 Presidential and National Assembly elections are scheduled to hold on January 16, 2027, followed by the Governorship and State Houses of Assembly polls on February 6, 2027.
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