The Independent National Electoral Commission has adopted the recently concluded Osun State governorship election as a benchmark for preparations for the 2027 general election, citing improved polling-unit opening, BVAS performance, electronic result transmission and crisis management.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, disclosed this on Friday when he received the Chargé d’Affaires of Canada to Nigeria, David Sproule, who led a delegation of the Canadian High Commission on a courtesy visit to the commission’s headquarters in Abuja.
Amupitan said INEC had continued to use recent off-cycle elections as testing grounds for electoral reforms and operational improvements, including the Anambra State governorship election, the FCT Area Council elections and the Ekiti State governorship election.
He said the Osun governorship election, held on August 15, had emerged as a significant benchmark for the commission.
According to Amupitan, 3,556 of the 3,763 polling units, representing 94.5 per cent, opened for accreditation and voting by 8:30am during the election.
He also cited what he described as optimal BVAS performance, seamless result uploads on the IReV portal and proactive crisis management.
“We view the success in Osun not as a final destination, but as the gold standard that will guide our preparations for 2027,” Amupitan stated.
The INEC chairman said the commission had already commenced preparations for the 2027 general election, adding that the statutory commencement of public campaigns and rallies began on August 19.
He also disclosed that INEC participated in the signing of the First National Peace Accord on Issue-Based Campaigns by presidential candidates on August 18 under the auspices of the National Peace Committee.
Amupitan identified five key areas of strategic focus for INEC ahead of the 2027 elections: “consolidating technological gains, deepening electoral inclusivity, strengthening institutional capacity and technical support, countering misinformation and safeguarding electoral integrity, and conducting a nationwide mock accreditation exercise in November 2026.”
He said the mock accreditation exercise would subject the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System and other electoral equipment to rigorous field testing.
According to him, the exercise would enable the commission to assess its readiness and address potential operational challenges before the general election.
Amupitan further disclosed that INEC was scaling up its administrative capacity for the 2027 elections, which he said would require approximately 1.4 million ad-hoc personnel across more than 176,000 polling units nationwide.
The commission is also preparing for the increasing role of artificial intelligence in elections, with Amupitan announcing the establishment of a dedicated AI unit.
The commission is also preparing for the increasing role of artificial intelligence in elections, with Amupitan announcing the establishment of a dedicated AI unit.
He said the unit would explore the responsible application of AI in areas including data management, voter registration and results transmission, while strengthening safeguards against its misuse.
Amupitan said INEC would participate in the “Global Conference on Responsible AI and Elections, organised by the United Nations Development Programme and Elections Canada and scheduled to hold from September 9 to 11 in Ottawa.”
He said the conference would provide an opportunity for INEC to examine responsible applications of AI in elections and develop strategies to counter emerging threats including deepfakes and disinformation.
The INEC chairman also “appealed for the Canadian High Commission’s assistance in facilitating expedited entry visas for members of the commission’s delegation attending the conference.”
Meanwhile, Sproule reaffirmed Canada’s commitment to supporting “Nigeria’s democratic and electoral processes ahead of the 2027 general election.”