The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) will conduct another nationwide mock accreditation and voting exercise on November 28, 2026, ahead of the 2027 general elections. However, the planned exercise raises an important question: why is the commission repeating a test it already conducted before the controversial 2023 elections?
INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, announced the exercise during a dialogue at Chatham House in London on November 12.
He said the simulation would test the commission’s upgraded Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and electronic transmission of election results.
The exercise will cover all states and simulate the presidential election. It will also allow INEC to identify technical problems before voters head to the polls in January 2027.
However, this will not be Nigeria’s first mock election exercise.
What happened during the 2023 mock test?
INEC conducted a mock accreditation exercise on February 4, 2023, three weeks before the presidential election.
The exercise took place in 436 designated polling units across the country’s 109 senatorial districts. Each state had 12 selected polling units, while the Federal Capital Territory had four.
The commission used the exercise to demonstrate how BVAS would identify and accredit voters.
It also tested the transmission of accreditation data and polling-unit results to the INEC Election Result Viewing Portal, known as IReV.
However, the exercise covered less than one-third of one per cent of the country’s polling units.
The International Republican Institute and National Democratic Institute later observed that public participation was low. They also recommended that INEC provide more opportunities for observers to monitor its technology tests and publish information about problems identified.
Read also: How BVAS and IReV Failed to Meet Expectations During the 2023 Elections
Why did the 2023 election still face controversies?
Despite the mock exercise, the 2023 presidential election exposed serious weaknesses in Nigeria’s electoral technology and result-management process.
INEC had promised real-time electronic transmission of results. However, the process encountered problems, and results were not uploaded to IReV as expected in several locations.
The controversy generated widespread criticism from opposition parties, election observers and voters.
INEC also faced complaints about BVAS malfunctions, delayed accreditation and the handling of election results.
The commission’s chairman, Amupitan, has now acknowledged that the 2023 election created a significant trust deficit that INEC has yet to fully overcome.
What will be different in the 2026 exercise?
Unlike the 2023 mock accreditation, the November 28 exercise will simulate both accreditation and voting nationwide.
INEC also says it has introduced technical improvements to address previous weaknesses.
For instance, the commission has reduced the maximum number of registered voters assigned to one BVAS device from 1,250 to 850. Polling units with more than 850 registered voters will receive additional machines.
It is also building climate-controlled storage facilities to protect the devices from extreme temperatures.
Another major change concerns result verification. Amupitan said INEC had introduced safeguards to prevent inaccurate polling-unit results and figures indicating over-voting from reaching IReV.
He identified result management, particularly at collation centres, as a major problem during the 2023 elections.
Read also: Will the Electoral Act 2026 Guarantee Credible Elections in 2027?
Can another mock election restore public confidence?
The November exercise will provide INEC with an opportunity to demonstrate whether its improvements work under election conditions.
However, conducting a test is not enough. The commission must also make the exercise transparent and allow independent observers to assess its performance.
It should publish the problems identified, explain how it addressed them and demonstrate that polling-unit results can move accurately through the electronic system.
The 2023 experience shows that testing electoral technology does not automatically guarantee a credible election.
For Nigerians, the real test will be whether INEC can deliver a process that voters, political parties and observers can trust when the 2027 elections begin.