The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Joash Amupitan, has reaffirmed the importance of corps members in Nigeria’s electoral system, disclosing that more than 1.4 million ad hoc staff will be engaged for the 2027 general elections.
Amupitan made this known during a strategic courtesy visit to the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) headquarters in Abuja alongside National Commissioners, directors and other senior officials of the commission.
According to a statement issued by INEC on Monday, the delegation was received by the NYSC Director-General, Brigadier General Olakunle Nafiu, and members of the scheme’s management team at the Yakubu Gowon House.
The INEC chairman described the visit as more than a routine engagement, calling it “a mission of profound gratitude” to the NYSC for its longstanding support in the electoral process.
He said corps members have remained central to the conduct of elections in Nigeria since 1999, especially as presiding officers and registration area officers across polling units nationwide.
Amupitan 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 — comprising corps members and student volunteers.
Speaking on preparations for the 2027 polls, he disclosed that INEC would require 707,384 corps members for the Presidential and National Assembly elections slated for January 16, 2027, and another 707,384 for the Governorship and State Assembly elections fixed 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 praised corps members for their patriotism, neutrality, discipline and digital skills, especially in handling the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS).
“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,” he said.
Amupitan also assured the NYSC leadership that the commission would strengthen welfare, insurance and security arrangements for corps members participating in election duties.
In his response, NYSC Director-General Brigadier General Olakunle Nafiu commended the collaboration between both institutions, describing corps members as “credible, reliable, patriotic, and easily trainable manpower.”
He assured INEC of the scheme’s commitment to supporting free, fair and 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 DG also appealed for better welfare packages, compensation and insurance coverage for corps members deployed for election assignments, stressing that improved support would encourage greater dedication to national service.