In preparation for the 2027 general elections, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) disclosed that it would conduct a nationwide mock accreditation exercise in November this year.

The chairman of the Commission, Prof. Joash Amupitan, made the disclosure Friday in Abuja when he received the Charge d’Affaires of the Canadian High Commission to Nigeria, David Sproule, and other officials of the Commission on a courtesy visit.

He said the mock accreditation would subject the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and other electoral equipment to a rigorous field test ahead of the elections.

“We will be conducting a 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,” he said.

Amupitan said INEC would welcome Canada’s partnership in ensuring the success of the exercise, particularly in the areas of technology, electoral integrity, and capacity development.

He said the Commission had treated recent off-cycle elections as crucial proving grounds for testing and improving its operational frameworks ahead of the 2027 general election.

Amupitan cited the August 15 Osun state governorship election as a major benchmark, noting that 3,556 of the state’s 3,763 polling units, representing 94.5 per cent, opened for accreditation and voting by 8:30a.m.

He also highlighted the performance of BVAS in the election, the uploading of results on the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal and the Commission’s crisis-management measures as areas where lessons had been learnt.

Amupitan disclosed that INEC had established a dedicated Artificial Intelligence (AI) Unit to respond to emerging technological challenges in election administration.

He said the unit would explore the use of AI in areas including data management and voter registration, while also helping the Commission to confront emerging threats such as deepfakes and AI-generated disinformation.

The chairman disclosed that INEC would participate in the Global Conference on Responsible AI and Elections scheduled to take place in Ottawa, Canada, from September 9 to 11.

He appealed to the Canadian authorities to facilitate the expedited processing of entry visas for members of the INEC delegation attending the conference.

In a related development, the INEC chairman sought stronger collaboration with the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS) to deepen youth and women’s participation and strengthen democratic culture ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Amupitan made the call Friday in Abuja when he received the Country Representative of KAS in Nigeria, Moritz Sprenker, who paid him a courtesy visit.

He acknowledged KAS’s longstanding contributions to democratic development and capacity building in Nigeria and across Africa.

Earlier, Sprenker said his visit was his first official courtesy engagement with INEC since assuming office as KAS Country Representative in Nigeria.

He said KAS worked with think tanks, young people, political leaders, civil society organisations, the media, and inter-religious partners to strengthen democratic institutions.