Amupitan Seeks Public Trust as INEC Fixes November 28 for Nationwide Mock Accreditation
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has scheduled a nationwide mock accreditation exercise for November 28, 2026, as part of efforts to strengthen its electoral technology and restore public confidence ahead of the 2027 general elections.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, announced this on Thursday, November 12, while speaking at a high-level dialogue organised in partnership with the Kimpact Development Initiative (KDI) at Chatham House, London.
The dialogue, themed “Nigeria’s 2027 Elections: Democratic Trajectory and Regional Stability Beyond the Ballot,” provided an opportunity for the electoral chief to address concerns surrounding the credibility of the 2023 general elections and outline the Commission’s preparations for the forthcoming polls.
Amupitan acknowledged that the controversies surrounding the 2023 presidential election had significantly damaged public confidence in INEC, admitting that the Commission had yet to fully recover from the trust deficit.
He, however, maintained that lessons from subsequent off-cycle elections had informed several operational and technological improvements aimed at ensuring more transparent and credible elections in 2027.
Responding to concerns about why Nigerians should trust his leadership, the INEC chairman cited the conduct of governorship elections in Anambra and Osun states, Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Area Council elections, the Ekiti governorship election and 16 legislative by-elections as evidence of progress.
According to him, the recent elections demonstrated improvements in result management, noting that elections in Anambra and Osun, which previously experienced prolonged and inconclusive contests, were concluded with results declared the day after voting.
He identified insecurity, logistics and result management as the Commission’s three major priorities ahead of the 2027 elections.
Amupitan disclosed that a post-2023 assessment identified collation centres as a major source of electoral result management challenges, rather than polling units alone.
He explained that INEC had introduced stricter technical validation mechanisms to prevent inaccurate results and figures indicating over-voting from being uploaded to its Result Viewing Portal (IReV).
He said the new safeguards were designed to ensure that results failing the required validation at polling units would not proceed to the portal, thereby strengthening the credibility of electronically transmitted results.
The INEC chairman also disclosed that the Commission had opted to upgrade its existing electoral technology rather than introduce an entirely new system, citing the limited time available before the 2027 elections.
Read Also:
Addressing concerns over the malfunctioning of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) during the 2023 elections, which he linked partly to extreme heat and poor storage conditions, Amupitan said INEC was constructing climate-controlled storage facilities across the states.
He added that additional BVAS devices had been procured, while the maximum number of registered voters assigned to each machine had been reduced from 1,250 to 850.
According to him, polling units with more than 850 registered voters would be provided with multiple devices to minimise technical difficulties and delays during accreditation.
The chairman said the November 28 nationwide mock accreditation would enable the Commission to simulate aspects of the presidential election and assess the effectiveness of its accreditation and electronic result transmission systems.
On funding, Amupitan confirmed that INEC had received a substantial portion of its budget for the 2027 elections but was awaiting the release of the outstanding balance.
He explained that part of the pending funds would be used for the recruitment and welfare of ad hoc electoral personnel, adding that the Commission had received assurances that the money would be released before the end of November.
The INEC chairman also addressed allegations questioning his political neutrality following social media claims linking his telephone number to a controversial account on X, formerly Twitter.
He denied ever operating an X account and disclosed that an independent forensic assessment had been obtained, while the matter had been referred to the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Inspector-General of Police for investigation.
Amupitan further dismissed concerns that his previous professional engagements as a lawyer in political disputes could compromise his neutrality, insisting that his actions before his appointment as INEC chairman were strictly within the bounds of his professional responsibilities.
“My loyalty is solely to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Electoral Act,” he said, stressing that all constitutional institutions and public officeholders must uphold the rule of law.
On allegations of irregularities 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 established legal procedures.
He also urged Nigerians, particularly young people, to remain actively engaged in the democratic process and resist the spread of misinformation and digital disinformation.
The INEC chairman warned that false information remained a major threat to democratic stability, urging citizens to verify information before sharing or acting on it.
The 2027 presidential and National Assembly elections are scheduled for January 16, while governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections will hold on February 6, 2027.
By PRNigeria
