INEC Seeks to Replicate Osun Election Model in 2027
The Independent National Electoral Commission has said it will build on the successes recorded during the recently concluded Osun State governorship election as it prepares for the 2027 general election.
INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, disclosed this on Friday when he received the Chargé d’Affaires of Canada to Nigeria, David Sproule.
Sproule led a delegation of the Canadian High Commission on a courtesy visit to the commission’s headquarters in Abuja.
Amupitan said the commission had adopted the August 15 Osun governorship election as a major benchmark for its preparations for the 2027 elections, particularly in the areas of polling unit operations, the use of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, electronic transmission of results and crisis management.
According to him, INEC had been using recent off-cycle elections as testing grounds for electoral reforms and operational improvements.
He listed the Anambra State governorship election, the Federal Capital Territory Area Council elections and the Ekiti State governorship election among the polls that had provided opportunities for the commission to assess and improve its systems.
He said the Osun election had produced particularly encouraging results, with 3,556 out of the 3,763 polling units, representing 94.5 per cent, opened for accreditation and voting by 8:30am.
Amupitan also pointed to what he described as optimal BVAS performance, seamless uploading of results through the INEC Result Viewing portal and proactive management of emerging crises during the election.
“We view the success in Osun not as a final destination, but as the gold standard that will guide our preparations for 2027,” the INEC chairman stated.
POLITICS NIGERIA reports that the commission declared the incumbent governor, Ademola Adeleke, winner of the election after he secured 511,067 votes on the platform of the Accord Party.
His closest challenger, the All Progressives Congress candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, polled 444,815 votes, while the African Democratic Congress candidate, Najeem Salaam, came third with 17,180 votes.
The election featured candidates from 15 political parties, while INEC reported that 1,010,684 voters were accredited to participate in the poll.
Amupitan said preparations for the 2027 general election had already commenced, noting that the statutory commencement of public campaigns and rallies began on August 19.
He also disclosed that INEC participated in the signing of the First National Peace Accord on Issue-Based Campaigns by presidential candidates on August 18 under the auspices of the National Peace Committee.
According to the INEC chairman, the preparations for 2027 would focus on consolidating technological gains, expanding electoral inclusion, strengthening institutional capacity and technical support, tackling misinformation and protecting electoral integrity.
He added that INEC would conduct a nationwide mock accreditation exercise in November 2026 to test the readiness of the BVAS and other electoral equipment ahead of the general election.
Amupitan explained that the exercise would allow the commission to identify and address possible operational challenges before the actual polls.
The INEC chairman further disclosed that the commission was expanding its administrative capacity for the 2027 elections, which he said would require approximately 1.4 million ad-hoc personnel to serve across more than 176,000 polling units nationwide.
He described the planned mobilisation as one of the largest deployments of human resources for a national assignment in Nigeria’s history.
Beyond the deployment of electoral technology, Amupitan said INEC was also preparing for the growing influence of artificial intelligence on elections.
He disclosed that the commission had established a dedicated AI unit to examine the responsible use of artificial intelligence in areas such as data management, voter registration and results transmission, while developing safeguards against potential abuse of the technology.
Amupitan said INEC would participate in the Global Conference on Responsible AI and Elections, organised by the United Nations Development Programme and Elections Canada, which is scheduled to take place in Ottawa from September 9 to 11.
He said the conference would give the commission an opportunity to study responsible applications of AI in elections and develop measures to tackle emerging threats, including deepfakes and disinformation.
The INEC chairman also appealed to the Canadian High Commission to assist in facilitating expedited entry visas for members of the commission’s delegation attending the conference.
Responding, Sproule reaffirmed Canada’s commitment to supporting Nigeria’s democratic and electoral processes ahead of the 2027 general election.
The Canadian envoy said his country remained committed to supporting nations seeking to strengthen democratic institutions and ensure that elections were free, fair and capable of earning the confidence and legitimacy of citizens.
