The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has disclosed plans to deploy more than 1.4 million ad hoc staff, mostly members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), for the 2027 general elections.
INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, made this known during a strategic courtesy visit to the headquarters of the National Youth Service Corps in Abuja, where he led a delegation of National Commissioners, directors and senior officials of the commission.
The delegation was received by the Director-General of the NYSC, Brigadier General Olakunle Oluseye Nafiu, alongside members of the scheme’s senior management team at the Yakubu Gowon House.
Speaking during the visit, Amupitan described corps members as the backbone of Nigeria’s electoral operations, noting that the meeting was not merely ceremonial but “a mission of profound gratitude” to the NYSC for its contributions to the country’s democratic process.
According to him, corps members have remained central to election management since 1999, serving mainly as presiding officers and registration area officers across polling units nationwide.
The INEC chairman revealed that about 1.2 million ad hoc personnel were deployed during the 2023 general elections, with over 70 per cent — nearly 850,000 — drawn from corps members and student volunteers.
Giving details of preparations for the 2027 elections, he stated that INEC would require 707,384 corps members for the Presidential and National Assembly elections scheduled for January 16, 2027, and another 707,384 for the Governorship and State Houses of Assembly polls slated for February 6, 2027.
He added that additional personnel would also be needed for off-cycle governorship elections in Ekiti and Osun states, as well as bye-elections in Nasarawa, Enugu, Rivers, Ondo, Kebbi and Kano states.
Amupitan praised corps members for their patriotism, discipline and digital competence, especially in operating the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS).
“In many states, corps members accounted for nearly 90 per cent of Registration Area Officers and Presiding Officers. They protected the sanctity of the ballot across 176,846 polling units nationwide,” he said.
He also acknowledged the risks associated with election duties and assured the NYSC leadership that INEC would strengthen insurance, welfare and security arrangements for corps members engaged in election assignments.
Responding, NYSC Director-General, Brigadier General Nafiu, commended the long-standing partnership between both institutions, describing corps members as “credible, reliable, patriotic and easily trainable manpower.”
He reaffirmed the commitment of the scheme to supporting INEC in conducting free, fair and credible elections across the country.
Nafiu noted that the last batch of millennials would soon leave the scheme, paving the way for a generation of digitally savvy Gen Z corps members whose ICT proficiency would support modern electoral processes.
He also appealed for improved welfare packages, compensation and insurance coverage for corps members participating in election duties, stressing that adequate support would further motivate them to serve diligently.
The NYSC boss assured INEC of the scheme’s readiness to fully mobilise corps members and administrative personnel for the 2027 elections and other future electoral assignments.
