INEC Sets Nov 28 Mock Accreditation Nationwide, Cuts BVAS Load to 850 Voters
INEC will conduct a nationwide mock accreditation exercise on November 28, 2026, simulating the presidential election to test BVAS accreditation and electronic result transmission (IReV) across all states. Chairman Joash Amupitan announced this Thursday at Chatham House in London during a dialogue on Nigeria's 2027 democratic trajectory.
The exercise directly addresses technical failures from the 2023 elections. INEC has procured additional BVAS devices and reduced the maximum voters per machine from 1,250 to 850—polling units exceeding this threshold will receive multiple devices. Climate-controlled storage facilities are under construction in every state to prevent heat-related malfunctions that plagued 2023. New technical safeguards on IReV will block inaccurate results and over-voting figures from uploading.
Amupitan identified insecurity, logistics, and result management as top priorities. A post-2023 audit revealed the most significant failures occurred at collation centres, not polling units. INEC is upgrading existing technology rather than replacing it due to time constraints before the 2027 polls.
The commission has received most of its 2027 election budget and expects the balance before November ends. Key dates: Presidential and National Assembly elections on January 16, 2027; Governorship and State Assembly elections on February 6, 2027.
With BVAS capacity nearly halved and collation centres under scrutiny, will these fixes restore your confidence in the process—or will you wait for the mock results before deciding?