By Omoyeni Ojeifo
With preparations for the 2027 general elections gathering momentum, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has unveiled plans to deploy over 1.4 million ad hoc personnel nationwide for the exercise.
A substantial share of the workforce will again be drawn from members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), according to the electoral body.
Persecondnews reports that the disclosure was made in Abuja during a strategic engagement between the electoral body and the NYSC leadership.
INEC Chairman Prof. Joash Amupitan, led a high powered delegation of national commissioners, senior directors, and other officials to the NYSC headquarters at Yakubu Gowon House.
He said corps members have remained a critical pillar of Nigeria’s electoral system, stressing their consistent deployment since 1999 in key operational roles across polling units nationwide.
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 for the Governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections fixed for February 6, 2027.
He added that additional personnel would also be needed for off cycle governorship elections in Ekiti and Osun states, alongside bye elections in Rivers, Ondo, Kano, Enugu, Nasarawa, and Kebbi.
Recalling previous exercises, he noted that about 1.2 million ad hoc staff were engaged during the 2023 general elections, with corps members and student volunteers forming the dominant field structure.
“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 commended their professionalism, describing them as disciplined, neutral, and increasingly adept at deploying digital tools such as the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS).
He also assured that INEC is strengthening welfare, insurance, and security frameworks for all ad hoc staff.
NYSC Director-General Brig.-Gen. Olakunle Nafiu, in his response, commended the long-standing partnership between both institutions, describing corps members as “credible, reliable, and patriotic.
He stated that the scheme remained fully committed to supporting INEC in delivering free, fair, and credible elections across the country.
“The last batch of millennials will soon exit the scheme, leaving behind a generation of digitally savvy Gen Z corps members whose ICT proficiency will greatly support modern electoral operations,” Nafiu said.
The NYSC DG also appealed for improved welfare, compensation, and insurance packages for corps members participating in election assignments, stressing that adequate support would motivate them to continue serving the nation diligently.
He assured the INEC chairman that the NYSC would fully mobilise corps members and administrative personnel for the forthcoming elections and continue to play a central role in strengthening Nigeria’s democracy.
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