The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said it intends to make use of about 1.4 million ad hoc personnel for the 2027 general election.
INEC disclosed this known when it received a delegation from the International Republican Institute (IRI), led by its president, Dan Twining, for a pre-election assessment mission in the Federal Capital Territory Abuja.
The delegation of IRI is in Nigeria from August 11 to 21 to assess INEC’s preparedness for the 2027 elections and identify areas where international collaboration and technical support could strengthen the electoral process.
Speaking during the meeting, INEC chairman, Joash Amupitan, , stated that the personnel would be deployed across more than 176,000 polling units nationwide.
Amupitan stated that INEC is also strengthening its logistics, expanding early deployment strategies and improving coordination with transport unions to ensure the timely movement of election materials and personnel.
He called the IRI mission timely, coming shortly after the Osun governorship election and ahead of the start of campaigns for the 2027 general election.
The INEC boss stated that recent off-cycle elections and legislative by-elections had served as operational tests for the commission’s electoral technology, logistics and security arrangements.
He noted that the bimodal voter accreditation system (BVAS) and INEC result viewing (IReV) portal had maintained high operational reliability, with result-upload rates exceeding 98 percent in recent elections.
According to him, the commission is also implementing reforms to improve voter registration through online registration, continuous updates to the voters’ register and measures to ensure the accuracy of voter records.
Amupitan said that INEC would remain neutral and have no preference for any political party or candidate.
He said the responsibility of the commission was to conduct elections that reflect the will of Nigerians, citing the recent Osun governorship election as part of its efforts to deliver credible and peaceful polls..
Also speaking, Twining said the IRI mission was aimed at supporting a competitive, peaceful and credible electoral process in Nigeria.
“We know how committed Nigerians are to exercising their democratic rights,” Twining said.
“Our interest is a competitive, peaceful and credible election in Nigeria, and we look forward to learning how we can support that objective.”
