The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has disclosed that more than 1.4 million members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) will be deployed for the 2027 general election.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, made this known during a courtesy visit to the Director-General of the NYSC, Brigadier General Olakunle O. Nafiu, at the scheme’s headquarters in Abuja on Monday.
According to a statement issued by the Chief Press Secretary and Media Adviser to the INEC Chairman, Adedayo Oketola, Amupitan described the NYSC as a critical pillar in Nigeria’s democratic process, stressing that the commission could not conduct elections without corps members.
“You provide the heartbeat of our field operations. When we speak of election manpower, we are essentially speaking of your corps members,” he said.
He noted that corps members have participated in nearly every election cycle since 1999 and remain the most dedicated and patriotic ad hoc staff engaged by the commission.
Giving a breakdown of the planned deployment, the INEC chairman said 707,384 corps members would be engaged for the Presidential and National Assembly elections scheduled for January 16, 2027, while another 707,384 would be required for the Governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections on February 6, 2027.
He added that 52,446 corps members would also be deployed for the Ekiti and Osun governorship elections as well as bye-elections in Nasarawa, Enugu, Rivers, Ondo, Kebbi and Kano states.
Amupitan recalled that INEC deployed about 1.2 million ad hoc staff during the 2023 general election, with over 70 per cent nearly 850,000 drawn from NYSC members and student volunteers.
He said corps members accounted for nearly 90 per cent of Registration Area Officers and Presiding Officers in several states, adding that their digital proficiency contributed significantly to the successful deployment of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) during previous elections.
The INEC chairman also assured that the commission would continue to strengthen security, insurance and welfare arrangements for corps members participating in election duties.
Responding, the NYSC Director-General, Brigadier General Nafiu, reaffirmed the scheme’s commitment to supporting INEC in delivering credible elections.
He described corps members as credible, reliable and technologically savvy manpower capable of supporting modern electoral processes.
“The last batch of millennials will exit the corps soon, leaving behind Gen Z corps members known for their digital savviness, which would benefit INEC,” he said.