The Independent National Electoral Commission has disclosed plans to deploy more than 1.4 million ad hoc personnel, largely drawn from the National Youth Service Corps, for the 2027 general elections.
INEC Chairman, Joash Amupitan, made the disclosure during a strategic courtesy visit to the NYSC headquarters in Abuja, where he led a delegation of national commissioners, directors, and senior officials of the electoral body.
The delegation was received by the Director-General of the NYSC, Olakunle Oluseye Nafiu, alongside members of the scheme’s management team at Yakubu Gowon House.
Speaking during the visit, Amupitan described the meeting as “a mission of profound gratitude,” commending the NYSC for its longstanding support to Nigeria’s electoral process.
He said corps members have remained central to election management in Nigeria since 1999, serving in critical roles such as presiding officers and registration area officers across polling units nationwide.
According to him, INEC deployed about 1.2 million ad hoc staff during the 2023 general elections, with corps members and student volunteers accounting for more than 70 per cent of the workforce.
The INEC chairman revealed that the commission would require 707,384 corps members for the Presidential and National Assembly elections scheduled for January 16, 2027, and another 707,384 personnel for the Governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections slated for February 6, 2027.
He added that additional personnel would also be needed for off-cycle governorship elections in Ekiti State and Osun State, as well as bye-elections in several states, including Nasarawa State, Enugu State, Rivers State, Ondo State, Kebbi State, and Kano State.
Amupitan praised corps members for their patriotism, neutrality, and professionalism, particularly in operating the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) during elections.
“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 assured the NYSC leadership that INEC was working to strengthen welfare, insurance, and security arrangements for corps members participating in election duties.
