By Omeiza Ajayi
Few months to the 2027 general election, the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC on Wednesday said it was still awaiting the full release of a substantial budget proposed for the polls, even as it moves ahead with plans for a mock presidential election designed to test the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV) under conditions similar to election day.
INEC, in its daily bulletin of Wednesday, said its chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, stated this at the 13th Annual International Conference of the Association of Communication Scholars & Professionals of Nigeria ACSPN, held at the National Open University Conference Centre, Abuja.
Represented by National Commissioner, Sani Adam, SAN, Amupitan who spoke on the theme, “Media, Technology and Elections in Africa: Navigating Digital Disruption and the New Dynamics of Electoral Communication,” said the proposed budget carries significant allocations for technology and election operations, including new accreditation devices to replace those lost or damaged in the last electoral cycle.
While full release of the funds remains pending, he noted that the Commission’s ICT team has already engaged manufacturers on procurement, with planning for the technology audit and the proposed mock election proceeding alongside budget finalisation.
