Nigeria INEC plans 1.4 million staff for 2027 election with AU support

Nigeria's Independent National Electoral Commission is preparing to deploy over 1.4 million ad hoc personnel for the 2027 general election, as the commission seeks technical support from the African Union to strengthen its electoral process. Acting Chairman Prof. Rhoda Gumus disclosed the figure on Tuesday while receiving an AU Pre-Election Needs Assessment Mission at the commission's headquarters in Abuja. Gumus stated that INEC is preparing to accredit and facilitate voting for a voter population approaching 100 million, deployed across 176,846 polling units nationwide. The commission will require 707,384 ad hoc staff for each of the two election dates, bringing the total to 1,414,768 personnel. This represents an increase from the approximately 1.2 million ad hoc staff deployed during the 2023 general elections. The AU assessment mission, led by former Ethiopian Deputy Prime Minister Demeke Mekonnen, commenced a week-long engagement on September 13 to assess Nigeria's electoral preparedness across the entire electoral cycle. Mekonnen said the mission aims to identify gaps and risks while exploring areas for possible technical assistance.