Independent National Electoral Commission will deploy about 1.4 million temporary workers across more than 176,000 polling units for the 2027 general elections, its chairman said on Tuesday.
Prof. Joash Amupitan made the announcement during a meeting in Abuja with a pre-election assessment team from the International Republican Institute, led by former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Jendayi Frazer.
“In 2027, INEC will deploy a workforce of approximately 1.4 million ad-hoc personnel across more than 176,000 Polling Units nationwide,” Amupitan said.
He described the planned deployment as a reflection of the vast logistical challenge of conducting the nationwide vote. The commission is already advancing an operational plan that includes continuous voter registration and a full audit of the existing voter list.
Amupitan said the Automated Biometric Identification System would be used to detect and remove duplicate records to keep the register accurate. Logistics would also be strengthened through early deployment arrangements and cooperation with transport unions to ensure polling units open on time.
The chairman noted that recent off-cycle elections had allowed the commission to test its technology, logistics and security measures. The Bimodal Voter Accreditation System and the online display of polling unit results via the INEC Result Viewing portal had achieved upload rates above 98 percent in those contests.
“Technology has permanently closed the door on legacy voting vulnerabilities, ensuring that the ballot box alone determines electoral outcomes,” he said.
Amupitan acknowledged persistent challenges, including security threats, electoral violence, vote-buying, hate speech, disinformation and foreign information manipulation. He said the commission was collaborating with security agencies through the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security, as well as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission.
He also confirmed that INEC would later on Tuesday join the signing of the First National Peace Accord on Issue-Based Campaigns by presidential candidates under the National Peace Committee.
Amupitan welcomed international observation missions as partners whose findings could help improve the process and pledged the commission’s full transparency and cooperation.
“Our sole mandate is to serve as an uncompromising, impartial umpire dedicated to delivering a free, fair, credible, transparent, and inclusive election that reflects the sovereign will of the Nigerian people,” he said.
