INEC to Deploy 1.4 Million Corps Members for 2027 General Election
Oru Leonard
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced plans to deploy more than 1.4 million members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) for the conduct of the 2027 general election across the country.
The Chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission, Professor Joash Amupitan, disclosed this during a courtesy visit to the Director-General of National Youth Service Corps, Brigadier General Olakunle O. Nafiu, at the Yakubu Gowon House, Abuja, on Monday.
Amupitan described the meeting with the NYSC management as more than a formal visit, saying it was also an expression of appreciation for the vital role corps members play in Nigeria’s democratic process.
According to him, corps members remain indispensable to election management in Nigeria, stressing that INEC would find it difficult to conduct credible elections without the support of the NYSC.
“In the complex architecture of Nigeria’s democracy, there is no pillar more vital than the NYSC. When we speak of election manpower, we are essentially speaking of your corps members,” he said.
He noted that corps members have participated in virtually every election cycle since 1999 and have consistently demonstrated neutrality, patriotism and professionalism at polling units nationwide.
The INEC chairman revealed that during the 2023 general election, the commission deployed about 1.2 million ad hoc staff, with over 70 per cent — nearly 850,000 personnel — drawn from the NYSC and student volunteers.
Providing figures for the 2027 polls, Amupitan said INEC would require 707,384 corps members for the Presidential and National Assembly election scheduled for January 16, 2027, while another 707,384 would be needed for the Governorship and State Houses of Assembly election on February 6, 2027.
He added that an additional 52,446 corps members would be deployed for the Ekiti and Osun governorship elections as well as bye-elections in Nasarawa, Enugu, Rivers, Ondo, Kebbi and Kano states.
According to him, corps members accounted for nearly 90 per cent of Registration Area Officers and Presiding Officers in several states during previous elections, helping to safeguard the integrity of the electoral process in 176,846 polling units nationwide.
Amupitan also praised the digital competence of corps members, especially in operating the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) during off-cycle elections such as the Anambra governorship election and the FCT Area Council polls.
He acknowledged the risks associated with election duties and assured that INEC was strengthening welfare, insurance and security measures to protect corps members deployed for electoral assignments.
“As the 2027 general election approaches, we are committed to working closely with the NYSC to ensure proper training and mobilisation of all ad hoc staff needed for these elections,” he said.
Responding, the NYSC Director-General, Brigadier General Nafiu, commended INEC for sustaining its partnership with the scheme, recalling that the Memorandum of Understanding between both organisations was signed in 2011 and has been periodically renewed.
He described corps members as credible, reliable and easily trainable manpower, adding that the emergence of digitally savvy Generation Z corps members would further strengthen election administration in Nigeria.
“The last batch of millennials will exit the corps soon, leaving behind Gen Z corps members known for their digital savviness, which would benefit INEC,” he said.
Nafiu assured the commission of the NYSC’s continued support for both the 2027 general elections and upcoming off-cycle elections across the country.
