From David Onuoja, Abuja
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has said it is gearing up as it consider Presidential Mock Elections, in preparation for the 2027 general election, even as the Commission is also planning to comprehensively audit all its electoral technology systems before the election.
Professor Joash Amupitan, who is the Chairman of the Commission made this known while receiving the British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Dr. Richard Montgomery, on a courtesy visit.
He said, the proposals, which were still under consideration was born out of the concerns arising from the 2023 general election, particularly regarding the reliability of election technology.
According to him, “the Commission was 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 actual poll dates”, he said.
Amupitan noted that although, the proposed exercise were not originally captured in the Commission’s budget, he stressed that INEC would explore ways to actualise them if required, given their potential value in strengthening the credibility of the general election.
He linked the proposals to the Commission’s broader efforts at technological reliability, which include 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 cyber-security architecture covering system redundancy, penetration testing and disaster recovery mechanisms.
Explaining that, public confidence in the electoral process depends significantly on the reliability of the Commission’s technology and processes, adding that INEC remained committed to addressing any gaps identified from the previous elections and before 2027 general election.
INEC Chairman abreast the British High Commissioner that the technology and cyber-security is one of the key areas of continued collaboration between INEC and the United Kingdom, adding that the Commission valued the technical partnership it had enjoyed with the UK and other international partners, including the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES), in strengthening its electoral processes.
Amupitan equally reaffirmed the Commission’s commitment to delivering elections that are credible, transparent and reflective to the will of Nigerians, where electoral credibility remained a shared responsibility with the required cooperation of political parties, security agencies, civil society, development partners and citizens themselves.
Earlier in his remarks, the British High Commissioner, Dr. Montgomery, said the purpose of his visit, is that he has been keenly following the INEC’s preparations for the 2027 general election, including updates on the recent off-cycle elections in Ekiti, the Federal Capital Territory and Anambra, as well as ongoing preparations for the Osun State governorship election.
Montgomery however, described the UK Government’s interest in Nigeria’s democratic process as a demonstration of both moral and practical support, citing the strategic partnership signed by the two governments in 2024 and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s state visit to the United Kingdom in March this year.
The High Commissioner who disclosed that he would be concluding his tenure in about six weeks, assured the Commission of continued British support under his successor, while expressing confidence that the incoming High Commissioner would sustain a productive working relationship with INEC in the run-up to the 2027 general election.
