The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced plans to deploy more than 1.4 million ad hoc staff for the conduct of the 2027 general elections across Nigeria.
INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, disclosed this during a strategic courtesy visit to the headquarters of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) in Abuja.
The INEC delegation, which included National Commissioners, directors, and senior aides, was received by the NYSC Director-General, Brigadier General Olakunle Oluseye Nafiu, alongside members of the scheme’s management team at the Yakubu Gowon House.
Speaking during the visit, Prof. Amupitan described the meeting as “a mission of profound gratitude,” praising the NYSC for its consistent support in Nigeria’s electoral process since 1999.
According to him, corps members have remained the backbone of INEC’s election operations, particularly as presiding officers and registration area officers at polling units nationwide.
He revealed that INEC deployed about 1.2 million ad hoc staff during the 2023 general elections, with over 70 per cent, representing nearly 850,000 personnel, made up of corps members and student volunteers.
Providing details of preparations for the 2027 elections, the INEC chairman said the commission would require 707,384 corps members for the Presidential and National Assembly elections scheduled for January 16, 2027.
He added that another 707,384 personnel would be deployed for the Governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections slated for February 6, 2027.
Prof. Amupitan further disclosed that additional personnel would 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.
“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.
The INEC chairman also commended corps members for their patriotism, discipline, neutrality, and digital competence, particularly in operating the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS).
He assured the NYSC leadership that INEC would continue to strengthen welfare, insurance, and security arrangements for corps members deployed during elections due to the risks associated with election duties.