The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says it will deploy more than 1.4 million ad hoc staff, largely drawn from the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), for the 2027 general election.
Joash Amupitan disclosed this on Monday during a courtesy visit to the NYSC headquarters in Abuja.
Amupitan led a delegation of national commissioners, directors and senior officials of the commission to the Yakubu Gowon House, where they were received by Olakunle Nafiu, the director general of NYSC and members of the management team.
Amupitan 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 assembly elections fixed for February 6, 2027.
According to Amupitan, corps members have remained the backbone of INEC’s election operations since 1999, particularly as presiding officers and registration area officers.
SIMILAR DEPLOYMENT IN 2023
The chairman revealed that INEC deployed about 1.2 million ad hoc staff during the 2023 general election, with corps members and student volunteers making up over 70 percent of the workforce.
“In many states, corps members accounted for nearly 90 percent of Registration Area Officers and Presiding Officers,” he said.
“They protected the sanctity of the ballot across 176,846 polling units nationwide.”
Amupitan also said additional personnel would be needed for off-cycle governorship elections in Ekiti State and Osun State, as well as bye-elections in Nasarawa, Enugu, Rivers, Ondo, Kebbi and Kano states.
He praised corps members for their patriotism, neutrality and digital competence, especially in operating the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS).
The INEC chairman further assured the NYSC leadership that the commission would strengthen welfare, insurance and security arrangements for corps members participating in election duties.
Responding, Nafiu described corps members as “credible, reliable, patriotic and easily trainable manpower”.
He said the NYSC would continue to support INEC in delivering 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 director-general also appealed for improved welfare, compensation and insurance packages for corps members involved in election assignments.
