In a major bid to restore public confidence and prevent a repeat of the technical glitches that marred the 2023 polls, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced plans to conduct a comprehensive audit of its electoral technology alongside a simulated mock presidential election ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The new measures were disclosed by the INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan (SAN), during a courtesy visit by the British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Dr. Richard Montgomery, at the commission’s headquarters in Abuja.
Rebuilding Public Confidence Through Auditing
Acknowledging the widespread public and political concern surrounding technological failures in previous cycles, Amupitan explained that the proposed initiatives aim to thoroughly evaluate and stress-test the commission’s infrastructure long before voters head to the polls.
The proactive strategy will focus heavily on auditing existing systems and carrying out a simulated nationwide mock presidential election. While the ambitious exercises were not originally factored into the commission’s active budget, the INEC Chairman emphasized that the agency is actively exploring funding avenues to make them a reality due to their critical role in bolstering electoral credibility.
“The Commission is considering a full audit of all our systems ahead of the 2027 election, as well as conducting a mock presidential election, to test the readiness of our processes and technology before the polls.” — INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan (SAN)
Tighter Cybersecurity and System Defense
A key aspect of the system audit involves a total overhaul of the commission’s defense against cyber threats. Amupitan revealed that INEC is currently reviewing its cybersecurity architecture, specifically focusing on:
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System Redundancy: Establishing backup systems to prevent sudden downtime during crucial result transmission windows.
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Penetration Testing: Simulating external cyberattacks to identify and patch vulnerabilities before malicious actors can exploit them.
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Disaster Recovery: Creating rapid-response recovery protocols to keep platforms like the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV) and the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) online under intense network traffic or coordinate attacks.
The commission highlighted electoral technology and cybersecurity as its top priorities for ongoing bilateral cooperation with the United Kingdom and global bodies like the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES).
The 2027 Timetable Pressures
The mock election announcement comes at a time when political parties are already adjusting to a highly compressed transition timeline.
Under the revised timetable issued by the commission in line with the new Electoral Act, the presidential and National Assembly elections are scheduled to hold exceptionally early, on January 16, 2027. This early scheduling squeezes the operational window for voter registration, candidate nominations, and party primaries, leaving little margin for administrative or technological errors.
By initiating an extensive technological audit and running a mock presidential poll well in advance, INEC hopes to iron out any system glitches and rebuild fractured public trust before the nation votes in January 2027.
Ayodele Quadri
Correspondent
