INEC to Conduct Mock Presidential Election Ahead of 2027 Polls, Releases Official Timetable
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has unveiled plans to stage a mock presidential election ahead of the 2027 general polls, in a move designed to rigorously test its electronic transmission infrastructure and rebuild public confidence in Nigeria’s election technology architecture.
The INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, made this known on Friday during a press briefing in Abuja, where he outlined the commission’s preparations for the 2027 general elections. PulseNets learnt that the simulated presidential exercise will assess the performance and resilience of the commission’s digital platforms before the actual polls.
According to details obtained by PulseNets, the commission also released the official timetable for the 2027 elections. Presidential and National Assembly elections are scheduled to hold on February 20, 2027, while Governorship and State Assembly elections will take place on March 6, 2027.
The INEC chairman explained that the mock poll will concentrate on the electronic transmission of results, particularly through the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IREV). He acknowledged that previous technical challenges had weakened public trust and stressed the importance of comprehensive system testing.
“I am committed to even having a mock presidential election. You see, the delicate thing about technology is if a technology is designed without being properly tested. We don’t have issues with transmission to IREV in respect of the elections. We are doing everything possible to make sure that we test whatever we have. I did not say that technology will not be used,” he said.
Amupitan further emphasised that the commission remains committed to electronic transmission of results, despite ongoing legislative debates at the National Assembly.
“No matter how it ends, we already have our policies. I think that we should ensure that the results are transmitted,” he added.
With the formal publication of the Notice of Election, INEC cautioned political parties to align their activities with statutory timelines and legal requirements. PulseNets reported that the commission insisted party primaries must comply strictly with due process and approved schedules under the Electoral Act 2022.
The chairman urged political actors to maintain internal democracy and shun violence during their nomination processes.
“Political parties are strongly advised to strictly adhere to the timelines. The Commission will not hesitate to enforce compliance with the law. I call on political parties to conduct peaceful and credible primaries, to shun violence and inflammatory rhetoric, and to uphold internal democracy,” he cautioned.
INEC also addressed mounting concerns over the rising cost of elections in Nigeria. Amupitan explained that each polling unit requires four officials, while nearly 450,000 ad-hoc staff must be recruited and trained nationwide. He noted that inflationary trends and foreign exchange pressures have significantly raised operational and logistics costs.
He dismissed reports suggesting that the 2027 general elections would cost N1 trillion.
The INEC chairman also denied claims that the commission intended to construct hospitals using election funds, stating that he had been misrepresented in earlier media reports. PulseNets spoke to sources present at the briefing who confirmed that the chairman clarified the issue directly.
“I was misquoted when they said I said I was going to build a hospital. It was not in my budget. There was a question as to why we are buying drugs. They asked if we have hospitals. I said, ‘Look, we have clinics and that those drugs were meant for our existing clinics. And a senator said, ‘Why are you building hospitals?’ Nobody ever said we were going to build hospitals. We never said we want to build hospitals,” he said.
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Explaining the rationale behind the announced election dates, Amupitan stated that the commission acted in line with constitutional provisions and the Electoral Act 2022, which mandates INEC to issue a Notice of Election at least 360 days before polling day.
He also clarified that Anambra, Bayelsa, and Edo states will continue to conduct off-cycle governorship elections due to subsisting court rulings affecting their electoral tenures.
