INEC to deploy 1.4m corps members for 2027 elections ‣ Info Giant Fm 97.1

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says over 1.4 million members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) will be deployed for the 2027 general election.

Joash Amupitan, INEC chairman, spoke on Monday when he paid a courtesy visit to Olakunle Nafiu, the director-general of the NYSC, at the Yakubu Gowon House in Abuja.

said the meeting with the NYSC senior management team was an honour, adding that he was not just on a formal courtesy visit, but on a mission of profound gratitude.

He said corps members have participated in most election cycles since 1999, and that INEC cannot conduct elections in Nigeria without the NYSC. “As the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), I am honoured to have the opportunity to discuss our collaborative efforts toward ensuring a seamless and credible electoral process in Nigeria,” he said.

“You provide the heartbeat of our field operations. When we speak of election manpower, we are essentially speaking of your corps members. They are the most dedicated, educated, and patriotic election duty staff we have, and their presence at the polling units brings a level of neutrality and public confidence that is irreplaceable.

“They form the backbone of our election processes, especially as ad hoc staff, whose dedication, discipline, and patriotism are critical to the success of our elections.”

Amupitan explained that for the 2023 election exercise, INEC deployed approximately 1.2 million ad hoc staff, noting that it was a staggering fact that over 70 percent of that massive workforce were drawn from the ranks of the NYSC and student volunteers.

Speaking on the workforce required for the forthcoming 2027 elections, the chairman said over 1.4 million ad hoc staff would be engaged, with corps members being in the majority as usual.

“For the 2027 general election, we would need 707,384 ad hoc staff (corps members) for the Presidential and National Assembly election on January 16, 2027; the same number would be required for the Governorship and Houses of Assembly election on February 6, 2027, making a total of 1,414,768,” he said.

“For the Ekiti State and Osun State governorship elections and the bye-elections in Nasarawa, Enugu, Rivers, Ondo, Kebbi and Kano states, we will need 52,446 corps members.”

The INEC chairman said in many states, corps members accounted for nearly 90 percent of the registration area officers and presiding officers. “These young Nigerians did not just facilitate voting; they protected the sanctity of the ballot in 176,846 polling units across the most difficult terrains of this country,” he said.

“It was the digital proficiency of your corps members that ensured the seamless performance of our bimodal voter accreditation system (BVAS), proving they are the tech-savvy backbone of our modern democracy. Their resilience ensured that the democratic process in the Anambra and FCT council polls remained uninterrupted despite local complexities.”

He also acknowledged that the contribution of the corps members had often come at a heavy price, noting that the commission does not take this for granted.

He said the commission remained committed to working with the NYSC and security agencies to ensure that safety protocols are strictly enforced to protect every corps member on duty.

“We are constantly refining our insurance and welfare packages to reflect the value we place on their lives,” he said.

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