The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, has described the conduct of the August 15 Osun State governorship election as a benchmark for the Commission’s preparations for the 2027 general elections.
Amupitan also announced that INEC would conduct a nationwide mock accreditation exercise in November 2026 to assess its readiness for the 2027 elections.
He made this known on Friday, August 21, 2026, in Abuja during separate courtesy visits by the Chargé d’Affaires of the Canadian High Commission to Nigeria, Mr David Sproule, and the Country Representative of the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, KAS, Mr Moritz Sprenker.
According to the INEC chairman, the Osun governorship election demonstrated the importance of effective administrative planning and reliable electoral technology.
He disclosed that 3,556 out of the 3,763 polling units in Osun State, representing 94.5 per cent, were operational for accreditation and voting by 8:30 a.m.
Amupitan attributed the achievement to the effective performance of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, BVAS, seamless transmission of results to the INEC Result Viewing, IReV, portal and proactive crisis management by field officials.
“We regard the success in Osun not as a final goal, but as the benchmark that will inform our preparations for 2027,” Amupitan said.
He explained that the November mock accreditation exercise would serve as a comprehensive field test of the BVAS and help strengthen the integrity and reliability of the electoral process ahead of the 2027 polls.
The INEC chairman also acknowledged Canada’s continued partnership and support for Nigeria’s electoral process.
On voter revalidation, Amupitan said a significant number of voters, particularly elderly Nigerians who registered as far back as 2011, would need to validate their records.
He, however, explained that the exercise could not be conducted before the 2027 general elections because of time constraints, although it remained necessary to prevent delays in subsequent electoral processes.
Amupitan noted that the Presidential and National Assembly elections are scheduled for Saturday, January 16, 2027, while the Governorship and State House of Assembly elections will hold on February 6, 2027.
He also recalled that Wednesday, August 19, 2026, marked the official commencement of public campaigns and rallies for the 2027 elections.
The INEC chairman said the Commission had also participated in the signing of the inaugural National Peace Accord by presidential candidates and political party leaders, organised by the National Peace Committee to promote issue based campaigns.
During his meeting with the Canadian delegation, Amupitan identified five priority areas for collaboration, including consolidating technological gains recorded in Osun, improving electoral inclusion for persons with disabilities, women, youths and other underrepresented groups, strengthening institutional capacity through training and technical assistance, combating election related misinformation and supporting the November mock accreditation exercise.
Earlier, Sproule commended INEC’s commitment to conducting free and credible elections and reaffirmed Canada’s willingness to support the Commission in areas including election observation.
He also expressed interest in greater participation by women and other segments of society in the electoral process, noting Canada’s confidence in INEC’s ability to conduct credible elections.
In a separate meeting with KAS Country Representative, Moritz Sprenker, Amupitan described the organisation as a longstanding partner of INEC and acknowledged its contributions to constitutional democracy, rule of law and good governance.
He said INEC and KAS had previously collaborated on regulatory frameworks for political parties, including technical retreats in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, and Lagos.
Amupitan identified civic education, electoral technology, institutional capacity building, combating misinformation, inclusion of persons with disabilities and marginalised groups, as well as inter agency dialogue, as key areas for continued cooperation with KAS.
Responding, Sprenker said KAS operates in more than 100 countries and has maintained a presence in Nigeria for over 25 years, working with government institutions, civil society, academia and the media.
He recalled a capacity building workshop on procurement conducted with INEC in Lagos in March 2026 and reaffirmed the foundation’s commitment to strengthening its partnership with the Commission.
Amupitan used the engagements to reaffirm INEC’s independence, neutrality and commitment to electoral integrity as preparations intensify for the 2027 general elections, which will require the deployment of approximately 1.4 million ad hoc personnel across more than 176,000 polling units nationwide.
