The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is considering a comprehensive audit of its electoral technology infrastructure and a mock presidential election ahead of the 2027 general election to prevent a repeat of the technical challenges experienced during the 2023 presidential poll.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan (SAN), disclosed this on Thursday while receiving the British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Dr. Richard Montgomery, during a courtesy visit to the Commission’s headquarters in Abuja.
According to Amupitan, the proposed measures are aimed at testing the reliability and readiness of the Commission’s technological systems before Nigerians head to the polls in 2027.
“We are looking at the possibility of having an audit of all our systems ahead of the election and also conducting a mock presidential election. We are trying to see how that can be done,” he said.
The planned audit follows the controversy surrounding the 2023 presidential election, when the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV) failed to upload presidential election results from polling units in real time as previously promised by the Commission.
The technical failure attracted widespread criticism from political parties, election observers, and members of the public, raising concerns about the transparency and credibility of the election process.
In its post-election review released in 2024, INEC explained that the disruption resulted from a configuration error within its result management system, which affected only the upload of presidential election results.
The Commission stated that while results for the Senate and House of Representatives elections were uploaded successfully, presidential results encountered internal server errors caused by a system-mapping failure.
According to INEC, software updates eventually resolved the issue, although uploads continued to experience delays because of queued results and internet connectivity challenges in some locations.
The electoral body acknowledged that the incident weakened public confidence in its digital election platforms and said it has since introduced additional quality assurance measures and system checks to improve the performance and resilience of the IReV portal.
Amupitan noted that although the proposed technology audit and mock presidential election were not included in the Commission’s original budget, INEC is exploring ways to implement them because of their importance to electoral credibility.
He explained that the initiative forms part of broader efforts to strengthen the Commission’s technological infrastructure, enhance cybersecurity, and rebuild public trust in Nigeria’s electoral process.
The INEC chairman said the Commission has continued deploying technologies such as the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the IReV portal while reviewing its cybersecurity framework.
According to him, INEC has carried out extensive assessments of its software resilience, system redundancy, penetration testing, disaster recovery plans, and communication protocols to improve election security.
Amupitan stressed that public confidence in elections depends largely on the reliability of electoral technology and the Commission’s ability to address lessons from previous elections.
He also identified election technology and cybersecurity as key areas of collaboration between INEC and international development partners, including the United Kingdom and the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES).
The INEC chairman reaffirmed the Commission’s commitment to conducting elections that are free, fair, transparent, and reflective of the will of Nigerians.
Speaking earlier, the British High Commissioner, Dr. Richard Montgomery, said the United Kingdom is closely monitoring preparations for the 2027 general election and remains committed to supporting Nigeria’s democratic development.
Montgomery, who is expected to conclude his diplomatic assignment in Nigeria in about six weeks, assured INEC of continued British cooperation under his successor as preparations for the next general election continue.
