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

The exercise is expected to test the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and other electoral equipment, while enabling the Commission to identify and address potential operational challenges ahead of the polls.

INEC Chairman, Joash Amupitan, disclosed this on Friday when he received a delegation from the Canadian High Commission, led by Canada’s Chargé d’Affaires to Nigeria, David Sproule, at the election umpire’s headquarters in Abuja.

Amupitan said the mock accreditation exercise was one of five strategic priorities adopted by INEC ahead of the 2027 elections.

He listed the other priorities as consolidating technological gains, deepening electoral inclusion, strengthening institutional capacity and technical support, and countering misinformation while safeguarding electoral integrity.

“We view the success in Osun not as a final destination, but as the gold standard that will guide our preparations for 2027,” Amupitan was quoted as saying.

The INEC chairman referred to recent off-cycle elections, including the Anambra State governorship election, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Area Council elections and the Ekiti State governorship election, as proving grounds for electoral reforms and operational improvements.

He also cited the August 15, 2026 Osun State governorship election as a significant benchmark, noting that 3,556 of the 3,763 polling units, representing 94.5 per cent, opened for accreditation and voting by 8:30 a.m.

According to him, the election also recorded optimal BVAS performance, seamless result uploads on the IReV portal and proactive crisis management.

Amupitan further disclosed that INEC would require approximately 1.4 million ad-hoc personnel to conduct the 2027 elections across more than 176,000 polling units nationwide.

He said the Commission had also established a dedicated Artificial Intelligence (AI) unit to explore the responsible use of AI in areas such as data management, voter registration and results transmission, while strengthening safeguards against its misuse.

The chairman also said INEC would participate in the Global Conference on Responsible AI and Elections, scheduled for September 9 to 11, 2026, in Ottawa, Canada, where it would examine responsible applications of AI in elections and strategies for tackling emerging threats, including deepfakes and disinformation.

Amupitan reaffirmed INEC’s independence and neutrality, assuring the Canadian delegation and the international community of the Commission’s “absolute independence, neutrality, and unyielding commitment to democratic integrity.”

The Canadian delegation, meanwhile, reaffirmed Canada’s commitment to supporting Nigeria’s democratic and electoral processes, particularly in the areas of electoral participation, women’s inclusion, public awareness, technical assistance and election observation.

The 2027 presidential and National Assembly elections are scheduled for January 16, 2027, while the governorship and State House of Assembly elections will be held on February 6, 2027.

Political campaigns for the national elections began on Wednesday, while campaigns for the governorship and State Assembly elections are scheduled to commence on September 9, 2026.

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Police authorities in Kaduna have rescued 75 people who were abducted by bandits in Birnin Gwari Local Government Area of the state.

The victims, comprising men, women and children, were travelling in commercial buses when they were allegedly attacked and kidnapped at Folwaya Village, near Birnin Gwari, on Wednesday, August 19, 2026.

But in a statement, the spokesman of the command, Mansir Hassan, said the victims have been rescued.

Hassan said the police received information about the incident from the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Birnin Gwari branch.

He said abductors, who were reportedly armed with AK-47 rifles and other sophisticated weapons, took the victims into a forest and concealed them inside a cave in a mountainous area.

Following the report, a team of police operatives from the Birnin Gwari Area Command was immediately deployed to the location. The police said the abductors fled upon sighting the heavily armed security operatives, leaving the captives behind.

All 75 victims were subsequently rescued unharmed, the police said.

Meanwhile, the Police Commissioner in Kaduna, Rabiu Muhammad, has commended the NURTW for providing timely information that aided the rescue operation. He also praised the Birnin Gwari Area Commander and his operatives for their swift and professional response.

The police commissioner urged residents to remain vigilant and promptly report suspicious movements and activities to the authorities.

Muhammad, however, cautioned members of the public against taking the law into their own hands, warning that such actions could result in the loss of innocent lives.

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Senators in the northern part of the country have called for the immediate establishment of state police, saying Nigeria can no longer afford to lose innocent lives while security reforms are delayed by bureaucracy.

The call followed terrorist attacks in Adamawa and Sokoto States on Friday that claimed over 36 lives, including security personnel and worshippers.

The Senators, who are operating under the aegis of the Northern Senators Forum, NSF, said that the spate of killings of innocent people in the North by terrorists has become unbearable and unacceptable.

In a statement signed by the Chairman of the Forum, Senator Abdulaziz Musa Yar’Adua (APC, Katsina Central), the senators urged the Federal Government, state governors, and state Houses of Assembly to urgently concur with the State Police Bill currently before the Presidential Working Group led by the Chief of Staff to the President, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila.

“Decentralized policing is critical to improving response time and intelligence gathering at the grassroots.

“We cannot continue to lose innocent lives to insurgents while bureaucracy delays critical security reforms. The time to act is now.

“The Forum prays for the repose of the souls of the departed and for the speedy recovery of those injured,” the senators stated.

They strongly condemned the attacks in Gaya community, Hong Local Government Area of Adamawa State, and Ungushi village, Kebbe Local Government Area of Sokoto State.

According to the senators, the assaults claimed the lives of over 36 Nigerians.

They commiserated with the families of the victims and urged state and local governments to invest in and strengthen community vigilante groups to serve as intelligence partners to the police and military.

The State Police Bill is part of the constitutional amendment process and requires approval by at least 24 of the 36 state houses of assembly to take effect.

Northern lawmakers have consistently argued that a centralized police structure is overstretched and unable to respond quickly to local threats, especially in rural communities.

With Friday’s attacks adding to the growing toll of insecurity in the North, the senators said further delay would be “a disservice to Nigerians.”