The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced plans to deploy more than 1.4 million corps members as ad hoc personnel for the 2027 general elections.
The disclosure was made on Monday by INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, during a strategic courtesy visit to the headquarters of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) in Abuja.
Prof. Amupitan led a delegation comprising National Commissioners, the Secretary to the Commission, directors, and senior aides, where they were received by the NYSC Director-General, Brigadier General Olakunle Oluseye Nafiu, alongside members of the scheme’s management team at Yakubu Gowon House.
Speaking during the meeting, the INEC chairman highlighted the vital contributions of corps members to Nigeria’s electoral process, noting that the commission would mobilise over 1.4 million ad hoc staff, largely sourced from the NYSC, for the 2027 polls.
Amupitan described the visit as more than a routine engagement, calling it “a mission of profound gratitude” to an institution he said has remained central to the success of elections in Nigeria.
According to him, corps members have consistently played key roles in election management since 1999, especially as presiding officers and registration area officers at polling units across the country.
He revealed that during the 2023 general elections, INEC deployed about 1.2 million ad hoc staff, with over 70 per cent — nearly 850,000 personnel — made up of corps members and student volunteers.
Providing further details on preparations for 2027, 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 House of Assembly elections slated for February 6, 2027.
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.
The INEC chairman commended corps members for their patriotism, neutrality, discipline, and digital skills, particularly in handling the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS).
“In several states, corps members constituted nearly 90 per cent of Registration Area Officers and Presiding Officers. They safeguarded the integrity of the ballot across 176,846 polling units nationwide,” he stated.
Amupitan also acknowledged the risks associated with election duties and assured the NYSC leadership that INEC was committed to improving insurance coverage, welfare packages, and security arrangements for corps members deployed during elections.
In his response, NYSC Director-General, Brigadier General Olakunle Nafiu, praised the enduring collaboration between both institutions, describing corps members as dependable, patriotic, and easily trainable personnel.
He reaffirmed the scheme’s commitment to supporting INEC in delivering transparent, credible, and peaceful elections across Nigeria.
Nafiu further noted that the outgoing batch of millennials in the scheme would soon be replaced by digitally skilled Gen Z corps members whose ICT knowledge would further enhance modern electoral operations.
The NYSC boss also appealed for better welfare, compensation, and insurance benefits for corps members involved in election assignments, stressing that adequate support would encourage them to continue serving diligently.
He assured INEC of the NYSC’s full cooperation in mobilising corps members and administrative personnel for the 2027 elections as part of efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s democratic process.