INEC to Deploy Over 1.4 Million NYSC Corps Members for 2027 General Elections

By Tgnews Reporter

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced plans to mobilise more than 1.4 million ad hoc election personnel, with a significant majority drawn from the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), to support the conduct of the 2027 general elections.

INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, disclosed this during a strategic courtesy visit by a high-powered delegation from the commission to the NYSC headquarters in Abuja on Monday. The delegation, which included National Commissioners, the Secretary to the Commission, directors, and senior aides, was received by the NYSC Director-General, Brigadier General Olakunle Oluseye Nafiu, and members of the scheme’s management team at the Yakubu Gowon House.

Prof. Amupitan described the visit as “a mission of profound gratitude” to the NYSC, an institution he said has remained indispensable to the success of Nigeria’s electoral process since 1999. He noted that corps members have consistently served as the backbone of INEC operations, particularly as presiding officers and registration area officers across the country’s polling units.

“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,” the INEC chairman stated.

He recalled that during the 2023 general elections, INEC deployed approximately 1.2 million ad hoc staff, with over 70 per cent — nearly 850,000 personnel — comprising corps members and student volunteers.

Looking ahead to 2027, Prof. Amupitan revealed that the commission would require 707,384 corps members for the Presidential and National Assembly elections scheduled for January 16, 2027, and an equal number for the Governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections set for February 6, 2027. Additional personnel would also be needed for off-cycle governorship elections in Ekiti and Osun states, as well as various bye-elections.

The INEC chairman lauded corps members for their patriotism, discipline, neutrality, and proficiency in operating the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS). He assured the NYSC leadership of enhanced measures to improve insurance coverage, welfare packages, and security arrangements for corps members deployed for election duties, acknowledging the inherent risks involved.

The NYSC Director-General, Brig. Gen. Nafiu, welcomed the delegation and reiterated the scheme’s commitment to supporting national assignments, including credible elections.

The partnership between INEC and the NYSC continues to play a pivotal role in addressing manpower needs for large-scale national elections in Nigeria.