The Independent National Electoral Commission Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan said INEC had adopted the recently concluded Osun State governorship election as an Osun election benchmark for preparations for Nigeria’s 2027 general election, citing improvements in polling-unit operations, BVAS performance, electronic result transmission and crisis management.
Amupitan made the disclosure while receiving the Chargé d’Affaires of Canada to Nigeria, David Sproule, who led a delegation from the Canadian High Commission on a courtesy visit to INEC’s headquarters in Abuja.
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The Osun election, held on August 15, is being treated by the commission as an important test of the operational improvements it hopes to carry into the 2027 polls.
According to INEC, 3,556 of Osun’s 3,763 polling units, representing 94.5 per cent, had opened for accreditation and voting by 8:30am.
The remaining 207 polling units reportedly experienced delays but became operational by 9:00am.
Amupitan also pointed to what he described as optimal performance of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, seamless uploads of results to the IReV portal and proactive management of potential crises as areas where lessons could be drawn.
“We view the success in Osun not as a final destination, but as the gold standard that will guide our preparations for 2027,” Amupitan said.
The commission has previously used off-cycle elections as opportunities to test electoral procedures and technology.
INEC’s preparations have included the Ekiti governorship election, the FCT Area Council elections and other electoral exercises designed to identify operational weaknesses before the much larger 2027 contest.
INEC’s official election calendar lists the presidential and National Assembly elections for January 16, 2027, followed by governorship and State House of Assembly elections on February 6, 2027.
As preparations intensify, Amupitan identified five strategic priorities for the commission: consolidating technological gains, improving electoral inclusion, strengthening institutional capacity and technical support, countering misinformation and protecting electoral integrity.
A nationwide mock accreditation exercise is also planned for November 2026.
The exercise is expected to put BVAS and other electoral equipment through field testing, allowing INEC to identify and resolve operational challenges before the general elections.
The scale of the 2027 exercise will be substantial.
Amupitan said INEC expects to require approximately 1.4 million ad-hoc personnel to support operations across more than 176,000 polling units nationwide.
Beyond technology and logistics, the commission is preparing for the growing influence of artificial intelligence in elections.
Amupitan said INEC had established a dedicated AI unit to examine responsible applications of the technology in areas such as data management, voter registration and results transmission.
The initiative is also intended to strengthen the commission’s ability to respond to emerging threats, including deepfakes and disinformation.
Amupitan said INEC would participate in the Global Conference on Responsible AI and Elections, organised by the United Nations Development Programme and Elections Canada in Ottawa from September 9 to 11.
He appealed to the Canadian High Commission to assist with expedited entry visas for members of the commission’s delegation attending the conference.
For Canada, the engagement reflects continued interest in Nigeria’s electoral development.
Sproule reaffirmed Canada’s commitment to supporting democratic and electoral processes ahead of the 2027 elections, including voter participation, women’s inclusion, public awareness, technical assistance and election observation.
Sproule said Canada remained willing to share relevant expertise that could contribute to stronger electoral institutions and elections that command public confidence.
The diplomatic engagement comes as INEC faces growing expectations to deliver credible elections in 2027.
A coalition of opposition parties, youth groups and civil society organisations recently commended the Osun election while urging the commission to maintain the momentum and ensure that voters’ choices are protected.
Amupitan, meanwhile, reaffirmed INEC’s commitment to conducting elections that are free, fair, credible, transparent and inclusive.
He stressed the commission’s independence and neutrality, describing its commitment to democratic integrity as “absolute” and “unyielding”.
For INEC, the challenge now is to turn the positive lessons recorded in Osun into consistent national standards.
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With the 2027 elections approaching, the commission’s planned mock accreditation, technology testing, AI safeguards and large-scale manpower preparations will provide further tests of whether the Osun experience can be translated into a stronger nationwide electoral system.
