….counts on NYSC for 2027 general elections
The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan, has reaffirmed the critical role of corps members in Nigeria’s democratic process, revealing that INEC would mobilise over 1.4 million ad hoc staff largely drawn from the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) for the 2027 general elections.
Amupitan made this known while leading a high-powered delegation of National Commissioners, the Secretary to the Commission, directors, and senior aides on a strategic courtesy visit to the headquarters of the NYSC in Abuja.
According to a statement by INEC on Monday, the delegation was received by the Director-General of the NYSC, Brigadier General Olakunle Nafiu, and members of the scheme’s senior management team at the Yakubu Gowon House.
Describing the meeting as more than a formal courtesy call, the INEC chairman said the visit was “a mission of profound gratitude” to an institution he described as indispensable to the success of elections in Nigeria.
He noted that corps members have consistently formed the backbone of INEC’s election operations since 1999, particularly as presiding officers and registration area officers across polling units nationwide.
According to Amupitan, the 2023 general election saw INEC deploy about 1.2 million ad hoc staff, with over 70 per cent — nearly 850,000 personnel — made up of corps members and student volunteers.
Regarding preparations for the 2027 polls, Prof. Amupitan disclosed that INEC would require 707,384 corps members for the Presidential and National Assembly elections scheduled for January 16, 2027, and another 707,384 for the Governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections set for February 6, 2027.
He added that thousands more would 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.
