The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says it will mobilise over 1.4 million ad hoc staff, largely drawn from the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), to conduct the 2027 general elections across Nigeria.
INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, disclosed this during a strategic visit by the Commission’s leadership to the NYSC headquarters on Monday in Abuja.
He said corps members have remained a vital part of Nigeria’s electoral system since 1999, consistently serving as presiding officers and registration area officers in polling units nationwide.
Amupitan described the visit as more than a courtesy call, calling it “a mission of profound gratitude” to the NYSC for its longstanding role in supporting credible elections.
According to him, the 2023 general elections saw INEC deploy about 1.2 million ad hoc personnel, with corps members and student volunteers making up over 70 per cent of the workforce.
He added that for the 2027 elections, INEC would require 707,384 corps members for the presidential and National Assembly elections scheduled for January 16, 2027, and the same number for governorship and state assembly polls slated for February 6, 2027.
Additional personnel, he said, would also be needed for off-cycle governorship elections in Ekiti and Osun states, as well as bye-elections in several other states including Rivers, Enugu, Ondo, Kebbi, Kano and Nasarawa.
Amupitan commended corps members for their discipline, neutrality and technological competence, particularly in the use 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.
He acknowledged the risks involved in election duty and assured that INEC would strengthen welfare, insurance and security arrangements for all deployed corps members.
Responding, NYSC Director-General, Brigadier General Olakunle Nafiu, reaffirmed the scheme’s commitment to supporting credible elections in Nigeria.
He described corps members as “credible, reliable, patriotic and easily trainable manpower” essential to the electoral process.
Nafiu noted that the scheme would continue to collaborate with INEC, adding that a new generation of digitally skilled corps members would further enhance election management.
“The last batch of millennials will soon exit the scheme, leaving behind Gen Z corps members whose ICT proficiency will greatly support modern electoral operations,” he said.
He also called for improved welfare, compensation and insurance coverage for corps members deployed for election duties, stressing that better incentives would boost performance and commitment.
The NYSC boss assured INEC of full mobilisation and support ahead of the 2027 general elections, pledging continued cooperation in strengthening Nigeria’s democratic process.
