The Chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Joash Amupitan, has disclosed that the commission will mobilise more than 1.4 million ad hoc personnel, largely drawn from the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), for the 2027 general elections.
Amupitan made this known during a strategic courtesy visit by a delegation of national commissioners, directors and senior officials of INEC to the NYSC headquarters in Abuja.
According to INEC, the delegation was received by the Director-General of the NYSC, Olakunle Nafiu, alongside members of the scheme’s senior management team.
The INEC chairman described the visit as more than a routine courtesy call, saying it was a mission of gratitude to an institution he considered central to the conduct of credible elections in Nigeria.
He noted that since 1999, corps members have remained a vital part of election management, serving mainly as presiding officers and registration area officers at polling units across the country.
Amupitan revealed that during the 2023 general election, INEC deployed about 1.2 million ad hoc staff, with over 70 per cent — approximately 850,000 personnel — comprising corps members and student volunteers.
Providing details on preparations for 2027, he said 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 assembly elections billed for February 6, 2027.
He added that additional personnel would also be deployed 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 digital skills, especially in operating the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), noting that in many states they made up nearly 90 per cent of registration area officers and presiding officers across 176,846 polling units nationwide.
He also assured the NYSC leadership that INEC was committed to improving insurance, welfare and security arrangements for corps members engaged in election duties.
Responding, Nafiu commended the long-standing partnership between the two institutions, describing corps members as reliable, patriotic and easily trainable manpower.
He assured that the NYSC would continue to support INEC in delivering free, fair and credible elections, while also calling for better welfare, compensation and insurance packages for corps members participating in electoral assignments.
