*Says 2027 Will Produce Nigeria’s Best Elections, There’ll Be No Technical Glitches
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The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has assured Nigerians that the technical glitches experienced during the 2023 presidential election would not reoccur in 2027, announcing plans to conduct a mock presidential exercise ahead of the general election to test its result-transmission infrastructure.
INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, gave the assurances on Sunday in Abuja at the Citizens’ Townhall on the Electoral Act 2026.
“By God’s grace, it will not surface in Nigeria. 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 stated.
Amupitan revealed that as part of efforts to test its result-transmission infrastructure and prevent a repeat of past technical setbacks, the commission would conduct a mock presidential exercise.
“Election anywhere in the world is now about technology, but before deploying any technology, it is important to test it thoroughly,” he stated.
“So, my own audit of the 2023 election, while the BVAS was tested within the states for the Osun election, Ekiti election, however, when it came to the federal election, especially the presidential election, which became inter-state, it was not properly tested.
“One of the things we are trying to do before the election is to have a mock presidential election, so that we are sure that this transmission across the state must not fail. The glitch is eliminated.”
The electoral body announced that the presidential and National Assembly elections would hold on Saturday, January 16, 2027, while the governorship and state Houses of Assembly Elections would now hold on Saturday, February 6, 2027.
The commission had earlier fixed the presidential and National Assembly elections for February 20, 2027, and the governorship and state Houses of Assembly elections for March 6, 2027, before it changed the dates in line with the 2026 Electoral Act.
The change in the timetable became imperative following President Bola Tinubu’s assent to the Electoral Act amendment bill recently passed by the National Assembly.
Amupitan explained that the February 21 Federal Capital Territory area council election exposed the practical limits of relying on real-time electronic result transmission in Nigeria.
“From my little experience over four months now in INEC, the problem is not even network. The problem I have seen is the adequacy of the network we have. For instance, you expect that in a place like FCT, you should be able to transmit your results without any encumbrance,” he said.
Amupitan cited the experience in Kabi ward of Kuje Area Council, where results could not be transmitted until the following day.
“Now, there are six area councils in FCT. The results came out on time in five area councils. The result in one ward, Kabi ward, did not come until the following day, Sunday.
“I was worried. When we sent our poll officials and security agencies to that ward, the moment they entered that place, we could not reach them. They were not accessible on phone, and nobody could speak to them until we had to send somebody on Saturday morning just to be sure that they were safe.
“Before we now brought the results, they brought results to Kuje town, and then it was collated along the remaining nine wards before the result could be declared.”
The INEC chairman identified logistics and result management as critical operational challenges facing the commission.
“So, result management and logistics are two basic issues that, from our own end, we’re trying to see how best we’re able to manage them very well, so as to enhance the transparency and credibility of the system.
“Talking about logistics, your election can be as good as your logistics. Where there is logistic failure, you know that you are beginning to fail,” he stated.
Amupitan explained that network availability — rather than the concept of electronic transmission itself — remained the major hurdle.
He acknowledged that while perfection might be difficult to attain, the commission was working to deliver significant improvements.
“We will try to give Nigerians a near-perfect election. Credible elections remain the lifeblood of democracy,” he said.
INEC commenced a comprehensive technical review of its Regulations and Guidelines for political parties to align them with the recently assented Electoral Act 2026 and emerging electoral realities.
The exercise, convened under Amupitan, represented a critical phase in the commission’s ongoing reform agenda aimed at strengthening political party oversight, improving compliance culture, reducing pre-election disputes, and enhancing public confidence in Nigeria’s democratic process.
Chief Press Secretary to the INEC chairman, Adedayo Oketola, in a statement said the Technical Workshop on the Revision of the INEC Regulations and Guidelines for political parties would bring together National Commissioners and Directors across operational departments, legal experts, election administrators, and institutional stakeholders.
“The recently enacted Electoral Act 2026 introduces significant legal and operational changes affecting political party administration, candidate nomination processes, compliance obligations, dispute resolution mechanisms, and the Commission’s regulatory mandate.
“Beyond legal compliance, the commission is drawing lessons from previous elections to strengthen preventive regulation. Persistent challenges such as opaque party primaries, membership disputes, weak financial disclosure practices, and exclusionary participation patterns have contributed to avoidable litigation and electoral uncertainty. Addressing these gaps early remains central to the commission’s preparations for 2027,” Oketola stated.
Amupitan stressed that to support evidence-based reforms, INEC was mainstreaming findings from the Political Party Performance Index (PPPI), a diagnostic assessment tool that identifies systemic weaknesses in party governance and compliance practices across the country.
He explained that the objective was to move regulatory oversight from reactive enforcement to proactive supervision anchored on measurable standards.
“For elections to inspire public confidence, the institutions that produce candidates must themselves operate transparently and within the law,” Amupitan said.
Technical facilitation support for aspects of the process was provided by Westminster Foundation for Democracy (WFD).
Country Director of WFD Nigeria, Adebowale Olorunmola, stated: “This isn’t just a review of a document; it is a reconstruction of the democratic foundation. We are moving towards an era where political parties are held to the same high standards of integrity as the electoral commission itself.”
Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Abbas Tajudeen, said the National Assembly included both electronic and manual transmissions of results in the amended Electoral Act to avoid disenfranchising the Nigerian electorate and prevent voter apathy during the 2027 general election.
Abbas stated that due to inadequate internet penetration in the country, it would be counterproductive to allow only one — electronic — form of results transmission in the Electoral Act.
He spoke when he hosted the Ambassador of Spain in Nigeria, Ambassador Felix Costales, at his office in Abuja.
“Based on the NCC report, they said Nigeria is still underserved by almost 40 per cent, which means 40 per cent of territories at large in Nigeria are not covered by the internet,” Abbas explained.
“Now, tell me, for those who are saying we should go ahead and do that, already if you look at the number of our registered voters in this country, it is alarming. It is sad to say that even with the manual arrangement we are using, we are only able to capture about 12-15 per cent of registered voters who, after every four years, come to vote. That’s voter apathy. Very few people go out to vote.
“Now, if we are to introduce (only) the electronic system, it will further reduce the number because 40 per cent of the country will probably not be able to vote as they don’t have adequate internet services.”
Abbas said: “These are all avoidable. That is why we said, in our wisdom, the Electoral Act should be hybrid — a combination of both the manual and electronic systems. Where it is feasible to use the electronic, use the electronic transmission; where it is not possible, use the manual, because there is no way one form, particularly the electronic, can be used entirely in all parts of the country for the elections.”
He claimed the opposition knew the true situation of internet inadequacy in the country.
“The internet is always backed by energy; how do you power the entire country on the day of election to have phones that are working and internet that is working, backed by adequate electricity? All those are challenges that, for now, will not be able to provide us the opportunity to do transmission real time online,” Abbas stated.
Ambassador Contales said Spain would follow the 2027 elections closely, assuring: “You can count on us — whatever we can do to deepen Nigerian democracy. Yes, there may be challenges, but you can count on us in any way possible.
“Of course we are going to follow closely the electoral period ahead of us. It is a long period; elections are always big times; opinions are always polarized. Sometimes when you dig down, you realize that the issues are not that big, or not as big as they seem in the public discourse.”
APC, Ondo State Chapter, expressed confidence in the revised 2027 election timetable released by INEC, describing it as realistic, structured, and fair to all political parties.
State Director of Media and Publicity, Steve Otaloro, stated: “The requirement for digital membership registers is a progressive reform. It enhances transparency, strengthens institutional discipline, and deepens internal democracy within political parties. By reducing disputes associated with manipulated registers, it ultimately reinforces the credibility of party primaries.”
Otaloro emphasised that the timelines were released well in advance of the 2027 election cycle, providing sufficient opportunity for all serious political parties to comply with regulatory requirements.
“Properly structured political organisations should not encounter difficulty maintaining updated membership databases or conducting orderly primaries. These are foundational responsibilities of any credible political party. APC welcomes reforms that promote electoral integrity and accountability.”
Addressing allegations by African Democratic Congress (ADC) that the new timetable was designed to favour Tinubu and APC, Otaloro dismissed the claim as speculative and without evidentiary foundation.
“INEC operates within clearly defined constitutional parameters. Its scheduling decisions are administrative and legal determinations — not partisan instruments. Politicising procedural timelines only undermines public confidence in democratic institutions,” he stated.
Otaloro stressed that Tinubu did not require institutional manipulation to secure electoral victory in 2027, stating that governance performance remains the ultimate determinant in any democracy.
“Elections are determined by performance credibility, not conspiracy narratives. If Nigerians are to consolidate and permanently benefit from the gains of these reforms, policy continuity is essential. A second term will guarantee stability, deepen structural corrections, and allow reform cycles to mature fully.”
ADC announced the commencement of free online membership registration nationwide, building on the momentum of its membership registration and revalidation exercise launched last month.
In a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the party said the new digital platform, available at www.adcregistration.ng, was crucial to the party’s preparation for the 2027 general election as well as its various congresses and conventions.
ADC stated that the manual registration would continue simultaneously across the country.
Abdullahi said the new digital registration platform was designed to enable the party meet the requirements of the new Electoral Act 2026 regarding digital membership register.
He said only individuals whose membership details were fully captured and verified in the party’s official digital register would be eligible to vote or be voted for in the party’s primaries.
“Members who have registered on the party’s previous platform are also required to revalidate their membership on the new digital portal, as additional mandatory information is now required to ensure full compliance with the Electoral Act and INEC guidelines,” Abdullahi stated.
He added: “ADC will like to emphasise that this exercise is without prejudice to our firm objections to the provisions of the Electoral Act 2026 that give undue advantage to the ruling party as well as the consequential INEC timetable.
“African Democratic Congress remains committed to building a modern, inclusive, and citizen-driven political movement capable of delivering credible leadership and a better Nigeria that works for all.”
The townhall featured guests including Oby Ezekwesili, Senator Ireti Kingibe, APC chairman Nentawe Yilwatda, and LP’s Nenadi Usman, focusing on the recent Electoral Act amendments and how to improve the credibility and transparency of future elections.
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