The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is considering conducting a mock presidential election and a comprehensive audit of its electoral technology systems as part of preparations for the 2027 general election.

INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan (SAN), disclosed this on Thursday while receiving the British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Dr. Richard Montgomery, during a courtesy visit to the commission’s headquarters in Abuja.

Amupitan said the proposals were informed by concerns arising from the 2023 general election, particularly regarding the reliability of election technology.

According to him, the commission plans to audit all its electoral systems and stage a mock presidential poll to test the readiness of its processes and technology before the 2027 elections.

“The commission was looking at the possibility of auditing all its systems ahead of the 2027 election, as well as conducting a mock presidential election, to test the readiness of its processes and technology before the actual polls,” he said.

He noted that although the exercises were not included in the commission’s budget, INEC would explore ways to implement them because of their importance in strengthening electoral credibility.

The INEC chairman said the proposals form part of broader efforts to improve the reliability of election technology, including the continued deployment of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV), alongside a review of the commission’s cyber-security architecture covering system redundancy, penetration testing and disaster recovery mechanisms.

Amupitan stressed that public confidence in elections depends largely on the reliability of the commission’s technology and processes, reaffirming INEC’s commitment to conducting credible, transparent and inclusive elections.

He added that electoral credibility requires the cooperation of political parties, security agencies, civil society organisations, development partners and citizens.

Earlier, Montgomery said the United Kingdom had been monitoring INEC’s preparations for the 2027 general election, including recent off-cycle elections in Ekiti, the Federal Capital Territory and Anambra, as well as preparations for the forthcoming Osun governorship election.

The British envoy reaffirmed his country’s commitment to supporting Nigeria’s electoral process and expressed confidence that his successor would continue the partnership with INEC ahead of the 2027 polls.