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.
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).
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.
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.
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.
INEC recently revised the timetable for the 2027 general elections, fixing the presidential and National Assembly polls for Saturday, January 16, 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.