The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) will conduct a nationwide mock accreditation and voting exercise on November 28, 2026, as part of preparations for the 2027 general elections.

The exercise will test upgrades to the commission’s Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and electronic results transmission system ahead of the polls.

INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan (SAN), announced the plan on Thursday during a dialogue at Chatham House in London, organised in partnership with the Kimpact Development Initiative.

The event, themed “Nigeria’s 2027 Elections: Democratic Trajectory and Regional Stability Beyond the Ballot,” was attended by stakeholders and election observers.

According to a statement issued in Abuja and signed by the Chief Press Secretary and Media Adviser to the INEC Chairman, Adedayo Oketola, the mock exercise will simulate the presidential election across all states of the federation.

Amupitan said the exercise would enable the commission to assess the effectiveness of voter accreditation and electronic transmission of polling unit results before the actual elections.

“On the 28th of this month, we will conduct a mock accreditation and voting exercise across all states of the federation to simulate the presidential election and verify that we have gotten both accreditation and electronic result transmission right,” he said.

The INEC chairman explained that the exercise was part of efforts to identify and address possible technical challenges ahead of the elections, particularly those relating to accreditation and result transmission.

He also disclosed that the commission had introduced additional safeguards to prevent inaccurate polling unit results and figures showing over-voting from being uploaded to its Result Viewing Portal.

According to him, the measures are intended to strengthen the integrity of the electoral process, improve transparency and enhance public confidence in the management and transmission of election results.

INEC also said it had begun the distribution of non-sensitive election materials to some states as part of preparations for the 2027 general elections.