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The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says it will conduct a mock presidential election ahead of the 2027 poll. 

INEC Chairman, Joash Amupitan, said this on Sunday during a Citizens’ Townhall on the 2026 Electoral Act.

“Moving forward, we will conduct mock presidential elections to ensure that transmission across state lines is seamless before the actual vote,” Amupitan said during the event held in Abuja.

Debates about the real-time transmission of election results have dominated headlines in Nigeria in recent months, especially before the passage and signing of the Electoral Act 2026.

READ ALSO: 2027 Elections Will Be Our Best Yet, INEC Assures Nigerians

It was the subject of intense debates in the 2027 presidential election after INEC reported a “glitch” in the transmission of the results for that poll.

But Amupitan, a professor of law, is assuring Nigerians of better days ahead, one year ahead of the general elections.

“Regarding the ‘glitch’ that was blamed for issues in 2023, let me be clear: the glitch is eliminated. It will not surface again,” he added.

“My audit of the 2023 election showed that while the BVAS (Bimodal Voter Accreditation System) was tested in state-level elections like Osun and Ekiti, it was not properly tested for the scale of an interstate presidential election.”

INEC assured Nigerians of a credible election, promising to eliminate glitches.

“By the grace of God, the 2027 election will be the best Nigeria has ever had. The electorate of 2027 is more aware and understands the direct correlation between elections and national development,” Amupitan said.

“We want a process that guarantees the legitimacy and confidence people want to see in their system. When people trust INEC and their leaders, the country will move forward.”

He said INEC is putting in the needed work to ensure that next year’s polls are credible.

The Executive Director of YIAGA Africa, Samson Itodo, has faulted the proviso inserted by the National Assembly in the Electoral Act 2026 allowing manual transmission of election results where electronic transmission fails due to network issues.

Itodo stated this on Sunday during the Citizen’s Townhall, a discussion on the Electoral Act 2026. He stressed that Nigerian politicians missed an opportunity to write their names in gold during the amendment of the Act.

“Some call this the elephant in the room, but I will say that this was a missed opportunity for Nigeria and this was a moment our political leaders had the opportunity of writing their names in gold by giving Nigerians what they demand.

“I think the proviso in this particular provision is the problem because it undermines the whole concept of electronic transmission of results and transparency,” Itodo said.



READ ALSO: Opposition Parties Reject 2026 Electoral Act, Demand Fresh Amendment

The YIAGA Africa Director called on lawmakers to recommence the amendment of the Electoral Act 2026 to expunge the proviso that allows manual transmission of results.

According to him, the proviso negates the core objective behind the push to amend the Electoral Act 2022, which he said was intended to make the electoral process more transparent by reducing human interference.

“I just wished that the lawmakers eliminated that particular proviso. This is why we made a call to them to commence the process of amending that Act and just delete that particular proviso.

“That way, as a country we will maximise the utility of electronic transmission of results because it limits human interference, it makes the whole process open and transparent. If politicians are not scared I see no reason why this was not considered in its full breadth,” he said.

On February 18, President Bola Tinubu signed the Electoral Act 2022 (Repeal and Re-Enactment) Bill 2026 into law, following its passage by the National Assembly after months of deliberation.

The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Joash Amupitan, has assured Nigerians that the commission is taking concrete steps to prevent any disruption in the electronic transmission of results during the 2027 general elections.

Amupitan, who spoke on Sunday at the Citizens’ Townhall on the Electoral Act 2026 in Abuja, said the commission is determined to eliminate the technical issues that affected the 2023 presidential election.

Addressing concerns about past failures, the INEC chairman expressed confidence that the commission’s improved preparations and testing would ensure seamless transmission.

“The glitch is eliminated; by God’s grace, it will not surface in Nigeria,” he said, noting that apart from delays experienced during some previous elections, the commission did not record outright transmission failure in other polls.

He explained that the legal provisions allowing alternative collation methods are merely safeguards and not an indication that the commission expects electronic transmission to fail.

“It is just a proviso, a safety. If it fails, results must still be transmitted. But our determination is that it will not fail,” the INEC boss said.

Technology Testing, 2023 Lessons

Amupitan acknowledged that while the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) was tested in off-cycle governorship elections before 2023, the nationwide scale of the presidential poll exposed gaps in stress-testing across states.

“Election anywhere in the world is now about technology, but before deploying any technology, it is important to test it thoroughly,” he said.

According to him, INEC plans to conduct a nationwide mock presidential exercise ahead of the 2027 vote to ensure the result-transmission infrastructure can handle the scale of a national election.

The INEC chairman emphasised that while the commission is striving for major improvements, perfection remains difficult to achieve.

He noted that successful elections depend heavily on logistics and infrastructure readiness, stressing that network availability, not the concept of electronic transmission itself, remains the main operational challenge.

Despite this, he said Nigerians should expect significant progress.

“We will try to give Nigerians a near-perfect election,” Amupitan stated, adding that credible elections remain “the lifeblood of democracy”.

2023 Election, Act Amendment

Debate over electronic transmission stems largely from the 2023 presidential election, when INEC failed to upload polling-unit results to its Result Viewing Portal (IReV) in real time, citing technical issues with the BVAS system.

The delays sparked widespread allegations of manipulation and multiple legal challenges, which were ultimately dismissed by the Supreme Court of Nigeria.

The 2023 presidential election results were officially declared by INEC on March 1, 2023. President Bola Tinubu of the APC was declared the winner, with Atiku Abubakar of the PDP coming second and Peter Obi of the Labour Party emerging third.

Subsequent amendments to the Electoral Act signed by President Tinubu in 2026 introduced a hybrid framework that allows electronic transmission while retaining manual result sheets as the legal basis for collation if technical issues arise.

However, the changes have generated criticism from civil society organisations, including Yiaga Africa, and political figures such as Peter Obi, who argue that removing strict real-time transmission requirements could weaken transparency.