Deborah Akinyosoye
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has unveiled plans to conduct a nationwide mock presidential election to test the reliability of its electronic results transmission system ahead of the 2027 general elections.
INEC Chairman, Prof Joash Amupitan, disclosed this yesterday in Abuja at the Citizens’ Townhall Meeting on Electoral Act 2026, organised by the Civil Society Network on Election Integrity.
He explained that the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System did not perform optimally during the 2023 presidential election because it was not tested on a national scale.
According to Amupitan, the proposed mock poll would simulate real election-day conditions across the country to assess the strength, speed and transparency of the commission’s electronic transmission architecture. He said the exercise would involve selected polling units nationwide and enable the commission to identify and address technical gaps before the next general elections.
He added that lessons learnt from the 2023 elections underscored the need for rigorous stress-testing of technological innovations, noting that public confidence in the electoral process depends largely on the credibility and efficiency of its systems.
The INEC chairman assured stakeholders that the commission remained committed to continuous improvement, transparency and collaboration with civil society groups to ensure a more seamless and credible electoral process in 2027 and beyond.
“So one of the things we are trying to do before the election, we’re going to have a mock presidential election so that we are sure that this transmission across the states must not fail,” he said.
Amupitan described the strengthened framework for electronic transmission of results as one of the most consequential provisions of the Electoral Act 2026. He disclosed that the commission pushed for transmission to be made mandatory during legislative consultations.
However, he cautioned against simplistic expectations about “real-time” transmission, citing logistical and network challenges experienced even within the Federal Capital Territory.
He assured that the glitch that marred the 2023 election had been eliminated and would not recur in 2027.
Recounting the recent FCT Area Council elections, he narrated how results from Kabir Ward in Kuje Area Council were delayed due to poor terrain and network inaccessibility, despite the ward being only a few hours from central Abuja.
“When our officials entered the area, we couldn’t reach them by phone. We had to physically confirm their safety before the results were eventually collated the next day,” he said.
He likened electronic transmission to mobile banking transfers. “You may send N50,000 instantly, and it leaves your account immediately, but the recipient may not receive the alert until later. That is the distinction between transmission and real-time confirmation,” he said.
In his intervention, a former Director in charge of Voter Education at INEC, Oluwole Osaze-Uzzi, argued that the Electoral Act 2026 represents a regression in Nigeria’s democratic journey.
He maintained that rather than consolidating gains recorded in previous reforms, certain provisions of the new law appeared to weaken critical safeguards designed to enhance transparency, accountability and public trust in the electoral process.
According to him, electoral legislation should progressively strengthen institutions and close loopholes exposed during past elections, not reopen them or introduce ambiguities that could undermine credibility.
“The law has taken us back. What it has given with the right hand, it has taken with the left hand,” he said.
Speaking on behalf of the coalition, the Executive Director of Yiaga Africa, Samson Itodo, called for immediate amendment of sections of the Act that create loopholes and ambiguities capable of enabling election manipulation. He also urged INEC to issue clear guidelines on the exercise.
Also, former Country Director of ActionAid Nigeria, Ene Obi, warned that rising campaign expenditure would effectively exclude ordinary citizens and grassroots candidates from participating in the political process.
