The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has disclosed plans to deploy more than 1.4 million ad hoc personnel, largely drawn from members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), to conduct the 2027 general elections in Nigeria.
This was disclosed by the Chairman of INEC, Professor Joash Amupitan, during a strategic courtesy visit by a high-powered delegation of the commission to the headquarters of the NYSC in Abuja.
The planned deployment represents an increase from the 1.2 million ad hoc staff deployed by the commission during the 2023 general elections.
What they are saying
The INEC delegation, which included National Commissioners, the Secretary to the Commission, directors, and senior aides, 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 in Abuja.
During the visit, Amupitan reiterated the vital role corps members continue to play in Nigeria’s electoral process, revealing that the commission would mobilise over 1.4 million ad hoc personnel, most of whom would be sourced from the NYSC, ahead of the 2027 polls.
The INEC chairman also commended corps members for their patriotism, discipline, neutrality, and technological competence, especially in the operation of 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.
Amupitan further acknowledged the risks associated with election assignments and assured the NYSC leadership that INEC was committed to improving insurance coverage, welfare packages, and security arrangements for corps members deployed for electoral duties.
More insights
INEC said corps members have remained central to the commission’s election operations since 1999, serving mainly as presiding officers and registration area officers across polling units nationwide.
- According to the commission, about 1.2 million ad hoc staff were deployed during the 2023 general elections, with over 70 per cent — nearly 850,000 personnel — consisting of corps members and student volunteers.
- Providing further details on preparations for the 2027 elections, Amupitan disclosed that INEC 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 and Osun states, as well as bye-elections in Nasarawa, Enugu, Rivers, Ondo, Kebbi, and Kano states.
What you should know
INEC recently revised the timetable for the 2027 general elections, fixing the presidential and National Assembly polls for Saturday, January 16, 2027.
- According to the commission, the adjustment followed the repeal of the Electoral Act, 2022, and the enactment of the Electoral Act, 2026, which introduced new timelines for pre-election activities.
- Under the revised schedule, governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections will now hold on February 6, 2027, instead of March 6, 2027.
Earlier in February, INEC informed the National Assembly that it would require N873.78 billion to conduct the 2027 general elections, alongside N171 billion for its operations in 2026.
The proposed election budget marks a significant increase from the N313.4 billion released for the conduct of the 2023 general elections.
