The Independent National Electoral Commission will rely on more than 1.4 million National Youth Service Corps members to run the 2027 general election, INEC Chairman Prof. Joash Amupitan has said.
Speaking during a visit to NYSC Director-General Brig. Gen. Olakunle O. Nafiu in Abuja on Monday, Amupitan called corps members “the heartbeat of our field operations” and said INEC cannot conduct credible polls without them.
“For the 2027 general election, we would need 707,384 ad hoc staff for the Presidential and National Assembly election on January 16, 2027; the same number for the Governorship and Houses of Assembly election on February 6, 2027,” he said. That brings the total to 1,414,768 corps members, with additional deployments planned for off-cycle polls in Ekiti, Osun and six other states.
The chairman said corps members made up over 70% of INEC’s 1.2 million ad hoc staff in 2023, serving as Registration Area Officers and Presiding Officers in nearly 90% of cases in many states.
“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.
Amupitan highlighted their role in operating the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System during the Anambra governorship and FCT council polls, crediting their digital skills with keeping the process running smoothly.
He acknowledged the risks corps members face and pledged stronger safety protocols, insurance, and welfare packages.
The INEC boss was quoted in a press release by his Chief Press Secretary, Dayo Oketola, to have said:“We are constantly refining our insurance and welfare packages to reflect the value we place on their lives.”
NYSC DG Brig. Gen. Nafiu said the partnership, formalized in a 2011 MOU, remains vital. He noted that Gen Z corps members, with stronger digital skills, will be key to supporting INEC’s tech-driven processes.
“Corps members are credible, reliable, and easily trainable manpower,” Nafiu said, promising NYSC’s full support for both the 2027 polls and upcoming off-cycle elections.
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