2027: INEC Unveils Technology to Reject Inaccurate Election Results, Announces November 28 Mock Poll

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has unveiled new technological safeguards to prevent the upload of inaccurate election results to its Result Viewing Portal (IReV), as part of efforts to restore public confidence ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, disclosed this on Thursday in London, announcing that the Commission would conduct a nationwide mock accreditation and voting exercise on November 28 to test its upgraded electoral systems.

Amupitan spoke at Chatham House during a high-level dialogue organised in partnership with the Kimpact Development Initiative (KDI), with the theme, “Nigeria’s 2027 Elections: Democratic Trajectory and Regional Stability Beyond the Ballot.”

The electoral chief acknowledged that the controversies surrounding the 2023 general elections had created a significant trust deficit for INEC, but insisted that the Commission was implementing measures to prevent a recurrence.

He identified the governorship elections in Anambra, Osun and Ekiti states, the FCT Area Council elections and 16 legislative by-elections as opportunities through which INEC had tested and improved its operations.

According to him, the recent elections in Anambra and Osun recorded notable improvements, with results declared the day after voting, unlike previous experiences in which governorship elections in the states were prolonged.

“Every election is a lesson. The 2023 general election was a major lesson for Nigeria, and the Anambra election was another,” Amupitan said.

On electoral transparency, he explained that INEC’s post-election assessment identified collation centres as major sources of discrepancies in the management and declaration of results during the 2023 elections.

He said the Commission had consequently introduced a technical validation mechanism that would prevent results containing inaccuracies or evidence of over-voting from appearing on IReV.

“In 2023, there were instances of inaccurate results or results with over-voting being uploaded onto IReV. We have now devised a technical safeguard: if a result is not accurate at the polling unit, it will not go to IReV at all,” he said.

Amupitan expressed confidence that the new arrangement would improve the integrity of electronically viewed results and make the collation process more transparent.

He also disclosed that INEC had chosen to strengthen its existing electoral technology rather than introduce an entirely new system, considering the limited time before the 2027 elections.

Speaking on the performance of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), the chairman said the Commission was addressing challenges associated with extreme temperatures and storage conditions that affected some devices during the 2023 elections.

He revealed that INEC was constructing climate-controlled storage facilities across the states and had procured additional BVAS devices.

The Commission has also reduced the maximum number of registered voters assigned to each BVAS machine from 1,250 to 850, with polling units exceeding that figure expected to receive additional devices.

To assess the effectiveness of these interventions, Amupitan said the nationwide mock exercise on November 28 would simulate the presidential election and test voter accreditation and electronic result transmission.

On election financing, he disclosed that INEC had received a substantial part of its 2027 election budget but was still awaiting the release of outstanding funds.

He said the Commission had been assured that the remaining allocation, which would partly support the recruitment and welfare of ad hoc election personnel, would be released before the end of November.

The INEC chairman also addressed allegations questioning his political neutrality following claims on social media linking his phone number to a controversial X account.

He denied ever operating an account on the platform, adding that an independent forensic review had been obtained and the matter referred to the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Inspector-General of Police for investigation.

Amupitan further dismissed concerns that his previous involvement in political disputes as a legal practitioner could undermine his impartiality, maintaining that he had acted strictly in his professional capacity before his appointment.

“My loyalty is solely to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Electoral Act,” he declared.

On allegations of anomalies in the voters’ register, including claims of an 85 per cent increase in registered voters in a ward in Ebonyi State, he said the Commission had investigated and addressed the complaint in accordance with the law.

He urged Nigerians, especially young people, to remain engaged in the democratic process and avoid spreading unverified information.

Describing misinformation as a major threat to democracy, Amupitan called on citizens to verify information before sharing it and give the country’s democratic institutions an opportunity to succeed.

The 2027 presidential and National Assembly elections are scheduled for January 16, 2027, while governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections will hold on February 6, 2027.