The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has fixed November 28 for a nationwide mock accreditation and voting exercise to assess its preparedness for the 2027 general elections.

The commission's Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, disclosed this on Thursday while speaking at a conference organised at Chatham House in London on the theme, “Democratic Trajectory Beyond the Ballot.”

He explained that the exercise would simulate a presidential election across the country, enabling INEC to test its accreditation procedures, voting arrangements and electronic transmission of results ahead of the 2027 polls.

Amupitan said the mock exercise was designed to establish the effectiveness of the commission's electoral systems and identify any remaining operational challenges before the actual elections.

“On the 28th of this month, we are planning a mock accreditation and voting across all the states in Nigeria, so that we simulate a presidential election and just be sure that we have gotten it right and that there will be transmission of result,” he stated.

The INEC chairman also urged Nigerians to have confidence in the commission, saying it had learnt valuable lessons from the 2023 general elections and subsequent off-cycle elections.

He specifically referenced the recent elections in Anambra and Osun states, noting that the commission had reviewed past shortcomings and implemented measures to improve the electoral process.

According to him, INEC has taken deliberate steps to address identified challenges and strengthen its operational capacity ahead of the next general elections.

Amupitan further disclosed that the commission was improving its logistics to ensure that voting, collation and declaration of results were concluded promptly.

He pointed to the Anambra governorship election, where results were declared the day after voting, as evidence of progress in the commission's election management process.

He also cited elections in the Federal Capital Territory and Osun State, where he said the BVAS and electronic transmission of results functioned effectively.

The INEC chairman maintained that the commission was determined to avoid a recurrence of the problems that characterised previous elections, stressing that transparency and accountability were essential to restoring public confidence.

He added that the ability of stakeholders and Nigerians to independently audit the electoral process would be critical to establishing the credibility of the 2027 general elections.