INEC is still waiting on the full release of funds from the proposed 2027 election budget before it can replace damaged and lost BVAS machines.
The commission will, however, go ahead with plans to conduct a mock presidential election aimed at testing the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System and the IReV portal under real election-day conditions.
Speaking at a conference in Abuja, INEC Chairman Prof. Joash Amupitan said the proposed budget includes significant funding for technology upgrades and new accreditation devices. Although the full funds are yet to be released, the commission’s ICT team has already begun engaging manufacturers on procurement while also carrying out a full audit of its election technology systems.
The audit covers system redundancy, penetration testing, and disaster recovery planning. Amupitan also stressed the need to treat electoral technology and communication as one discipline, noting that the rising use of artificial intelligence in spreading disinformation now poses one of the biggest risks to the credibility of the 2027 elections.
