INEC to Conduct Nationwide Mock Accreditation Exercise in November 2026

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) will conduct a nationwide mock accreditation exercise in November 2026 as part of preparations for the 2027 general elections.

The INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, disclosed this while receiving the Chargé d’Affaires of the Canadian High Commission to Nigeria, David Sproule, and other officials during a courtesy visit to the commission’s headquarters.

Amupitan said the exercise would provide an opportunity to test the commission’s electoral technology and other equipment ahead of the 2027 elections.

According to him, the mock accreditation will subject the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and other electoral equipment to a rigorous field test across the country.

He said the exercise was designed to help INEC identify and resolve potential operational challenges before the general elections.

The INEC chairman stressed that the commission was determined to build on lessons learnt from recent off-cycle elections and improve its preparedness for the 2027 electoral cycle.

The nationwide exercise is expected to give INEC an opportunity to assess the functionality of its accreditation systems under conditions similar to those that will be experienced during the actual elections.

The commission has continued to carry out preparations for the 2027 general elections as political parties and candidates begin their campaigns for the presidential, National Assembly and other elections.

INEC Says 81.5% of PVCs Collected Ahead of Osun Election

 

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced that 1,906,390 Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) have been collected ahead of the Osun State governorship election scheduled for Saturday, August 15, 2026.

According to the Commission, Osun State has 2,339,233 registered voters, with the collected PVCs representing 81.50 per cent of the total number of registered voters.

INEC said the remaining 432,843 PVCs, representing 18.50 per cent, have been safely deposited with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in line with the Commission’s established practice.

The Commission also disclosed that some registered voters whose PVCs were damaged, defaced or lost applied for replacement.

A total of 6,101 people who applied for replacement printed downloadable copies of their PVCs, according to the electoral body.

INEC said a detailed table showing the number of PVCs collected at each polling unit across Osun State has been published on its website.

The Commission also reassured political parties, civil society organisations, the media and residents of Osun State that it is fully prepared for Saturday’s election.

INEC said it remains committed to conducting a free, fair, credible, transparent and inclusive governorship election.

The statement was signed by Mohammed Kudu Haruna, National Commissioner and Chairman of INEC’s Information and Voter Education Committee, on August 13, 2026.

The Osun governorship election will hold on Saturday, August 15, with the incumbent Governor Ademola Adeleke seeking re-election against candidates from several political parties.

Appeal Court Restores ADC, Four Other Parties Ahead of 2027 Elections

Nigeria’s political landscape received a significant boost on Tuesday after the Court of Appeal in Abuja overturned a Federal High Court judgment that ordered the deregistration of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and four other political parties, clearing the way for their participation in the 2027 general elections.

The appellate court, sitting in Abuja, unanimously ruled that the earlier judgment could not stand because the case that led to the deregistration order was not properly initiated before the court. The three-member panel, led by Justice Abba Mohammed, held that the lower court lacked the jurisdiction to entertain the matter, rendering its decision legally invalid.

The ruling restores the legal status of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Action Alliance (AA), Action Peoples Party (APP), Accord Party (AP) and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP), allowing them to continue their political activities and field candidates in future elections.

The legal dispute began after a Federal High Court ruled that the affected parties should be removed from the register of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), citing constitutional provisions relating to the performance of political parties. The decision sparked widespread reactions within political circles, with the parties insisting that the judgment was flawed and immediately filing appeals.

In its decision, the Court of Appeal agreed with the appellants, holding that the suit upon which the deregistration order was based was incompetent from the outset. The court maintained that where a case is not properly brought before a court, any orders arising from such proceedings have no legal effect.

The judgment effectively nullifies every directive issued by the Federal High Court concerning the deregistration of the five parties and reaffirms their recognition under Nigeria’s electoral system.

The decision is expected to reshape preparations for the 2027 elections, particularly for the ADC, which has recently attracted several opposition politicians ahead of the next electoral cycle.

The ruling also reinforces the principle that political parties can only lose their legal status through procedures that strictly comply with the Constitution and other applicable electoral laws.

Political observers believe the judgment preserves multiparty democracy by ensuring that eligible political parties remain free to participate in Nigeria’s electoral process unless due legal procedures are followed.