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 2027 general election across Nigeria.
This was disclosed by the Chairman of INEC, Professor Joash Amupitan, during a courtesy visit to the Director-General of the NYSC, Brigadier General Olakunle O. Nafiu, at the NYSC Headquarters in Abuja on Monday.
Speaking during the meeting, Prof. Amupitan described the partnership between INEC and the NYSC as critical to Nigeria’s democratic process, stressing that the commission could hardly conduct elections successfully without corps members.
According to him, corps members remain the most dedicated, educated, and patriotic category of ad hoc election staff engaged by the commission.
“You provide the heartbeat of our field operations. When we speak of election manpower, we are essentially speaking of your corps members,” he said.
The INEC chairman revealed that during the 2023 general election, the commission deployed about 1.2 million ad hoc personnel, with over 70 per cent — nearly 850,000 — drawn from NYSC members and student volunteers.
Providing details for the 2027 elections, Amupitan said INEC would require 707,384 corps members for the Presidential and National Assembly elections scheduled for January 16, 2027, while another 707,384 would be deployed for the Governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections slated for February 6, 2027.
He added that an additional 52,446 corps members would be needed for the Ekiti and Osun governorship elections, as well as bye-elections in Nasarawa, Enugu, Rivers, Ondo, Kebbi, and Kano states.
The INEC chairman noted that corps members played vital roles in safeguarding the integrity of elections across Nigeria’s 176,846 polling units, including difficult and remote terrains.
He also praised the digital proficiency of corps members, particularly in operating the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) during recent off-cycle elections, including the Anambra governorship election and the Federal Capital Territory Area Council polls.
Amupitan acknowledged the risks associated with election duties and assured that INEC would continue working with security agencies and the NYSC to strengthen safety measures and improve insurance and welfare packages for corps members engaged in election 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 the elections,” he said.
Responding, the Director-General of the NYSC, Brigadier General Nafiu, reaffirmed the scheme’s commitment to supporting INEC in delivering credible elections.
He described corps members as reliable, trainable, and technologically savvy, adding that the emergence of Gen Z corps members would further enhance election operations due to their digital capabilities.
Nafiu also confirmed that the NYSC would continue supporting both the 2027 general election and upcoming off-cycle governorship and bye-elections across the country.
