The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has introduced new technological safeguards to prevent the uploading of inaccurate election results to its Result Viewing Portal (IReV) ahead of the 2027 general elections.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, disclosed this on Thursday in London, while announcing November 28, 2026, as the date for a nationwide mock accreditation and voting exercise to test the Commission’s upgraded electoral technology.
Amupitan spoke at a high-level dialogue organised in partnership with the Kimpact Development Initiative (KDI) at Chatham House, London, under the theme, “Nigeria’s 2027 Elections: Democratic Trajectory and Regional Stability Beyond the Ballot.”
The INEC chairman said the new safeguards were designed to address the controversies surrounding the 2023 general elections, particularly discrepancies in election results uploaded to the IReV portal.
Acknowledging that the 2023 election had significantly damaged public confidence in the Commission, Amupitan said INEC had since used subsequent off-cycle elections to identify operational weaknesses and improve its electoral processes.
He cited the governorship elections in Anambra, Osun and Ekiti states, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Area Council elections and 16 legislative by-elections as evidence of improvements in the Commission’s performance.
According to him, the recent elections in Anambra and Osun demonstrated significant progress in result management, as both governorship elections were concluded with results declared the day after voting.
“Why must Nigerians trust me? Nigerians must trust me because, number one, I have conducted off-cycle elections, and observers agree that the recent election in Osun State marked a clear improvement,” he said.
Explaining the new IReV safeguards, Amupitan said INEC’s post-2023 assessment identified collation centres, rather than polling units, as major sources of discrepancies in election result management.
He explained that the Commission had introduced a validation mechanism that would prevent inaccurate results and figures indicating over-voting from being uploaded to the portal.
“In 2023, there were instances of inaccurate results or results with over-voting being uploaded onto IReV. We have now devised a technical safeguard: if a result is not accurate at the polling unit, it will not go to IReV at all,” he said.
He added that the new arrangement would ensure that results appearing on the portal had passed the required validation process, thereby strengthening public confidence in electronic result viewing and collation.
On the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), the INEC chairman disclosed that the Commission was upgrading its existing technology rather than introducing an entirely new electoral system, citing the limited time remaining before the 2027 elections.
He said INEC was also constructing climate-controlled storage facilities across the states to address device malfunctions previously associated with extreme heat and poor storage conditions during the 2023 elections.
The Commission, he added, had procured additional BVAS devices and reduced the maximum number of registered voters assigned to each machine from 1,250 to 850.
Under the revised arrangement, polling units with more than 850 registered voters would be provided with multiple devices to improve accreditation efficiency and reduce delays.
Amupitan said the nationwide mock exercise scheduled for November 28 would test the upgraded accreditation and electronic result transmission systems ahead of the general elections.
The INEC chairman also identified insecurity, logistics and result management as the Commission’s major operational priorities for the 2027 polls.
On funding, he disclosed that INEC had received a substantial portion of its 2027 election budget but was awaiting the release of the outstanding balance.
He said part of the outstanding funds would support the recruitment and welfare of ad hoc election personnel, adding that the Commission had received assurances that the money would be released before the end of November.
Addressing concerns about his political neutrality following social media allegations linking his phone number to a controversial X account, Amupitan denied ever operating an account on the platform.
He said an independent forensic review had been obtained and the matter referred to the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Inspector-General of Police for investigation.
He also dismissed suggestions that his previous legal representation in political disputes could compromise his neutrality, insisting that he had acted strictly in his professional capacity before becoming INEC chairman.
“My loyalty is solely to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Electoral Act,” he declared.
On allegations of irregularities in the voter register, including claims of an 85 per cent increase in registered voters in a ward in Ebonyi State, Amupitan said the Commission had investigated and addressed the complaint in accordance with statutory procedures.
He urged Nigerians, particularly young people, to remain actively involved in the democratic process and resist the spread of misinformation and disinformation.
“This country belongs to young Nigerians, and they must not relent in working for the Nigeria they desire,” he said, warning that misinformation remained a major threat to democratic development.
The INEC chairman called on citizens to verify information before sharing it and to contribute to building public confidence in the electoral process.
The 2027 presidential and National Assembly elections are scheduled for January 16, 2027, while governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections will hold on February 6, 2027.
