The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) will conduct a country‑wide mock voter accreditation on 28 November to trial upgraded election technology before the 2027 general elections.

INEC Chairman Joash Amupitan announced the drill during a dialogue at Chatham House in London, saying it will simulate a presidential election and verify both voter accreditation and electronic result transmission.

The test will focus on changes to the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), which has been modified after equipment failures marred the 2023 elections.

One key adjustment reduces the maximum number of registered voters per BVAS unit from 1,250 to 850, and additional devices have been procured for polling stations with larger voter rolls.

To mitigate heat‑related malfunctions, INEC is building climate‑controlled storage facilities in every state for the BVAS equipment.

The commission also plans technical safeguards to prevent inaccurate figures or over‑voting from being uploaded to its INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV).

Amupitan noted that a post‑election review identified collation centres, rather than polling units, as the primary source of result‑management problems in 2023.

The mock exercise comes after the disputed 2023 presidential election, where delays in uploading results to IReV and accreditation glitches eroded public confidence in the commission.

Nigeria’s presidential and National Assembly elections are slated for 16 January 2027, with governorship and state assembly polls to follow on 6 February.