Former Resident Electoral Commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mike Igini, has raised concerns over alleged attempts by politicians to compromise the recruitment and deployment of personnel for Nigeria’s elections ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Igini alleged that some politicians manipulate the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) personnel lists by introducing individuals who are not genuine corps members and providing them with NYSC uniforms to enable them to work as polling officials on election day.
He made the allegations during an interview on ARISE News on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, while discussing electoral preparations and the potential threats to the credibility of the 2027 polls.
According to the former electoral commissioner, interference in the recruitment process could undermine INEC’s work by allowing unauthorised individuals to participate in conducting elections.
He explained that the manipulation allegedly occurs at the state level, where names could be inserted into lists submitted for electoral assignments.
Igini said the practice raises serious questions about the verification procedures used to identify and approve personnel responsible for conducting elections at polling units.
He stated that the Director-General of the NYSC must ensure that the lists submitted for electoral duties contain only verified and eligible corps members.
IGini URGES NYSC TO VERIFY PERSONNEL LISTS
Igini stressed that attention should not focus exclusively on senior electoral officials, as the individuals responsible for handling voting and recording results at polling units are equally important to the credibility of an election.
He noted that presiding officers, many of whom are serving corps members, play a crucial role in the electoral process and must be carefully screened before deployment.
The former INEC commissioner warned that allowing politically connected individuals to enter the system through compromised recruitment procedures could expose the electoral process to manipulation.
He urged the NYSC leadership to take responsibility for verifying the authenticity of personnel records and ensuring that only qualified individuals are presented for election-related assignments.
FORMER INEC COMMISSIONER RECALLS EXPERIENCE IN AKWA IBOM
Drawing on his experience supervising elections, Igini recalled an incident in Akwa Ibom State in 2019 when he said irregularities were discovered in a list of individuals submitted for training ahead of an election.
According to him, some individuals listed as university personnel were found not to be genuine representatives of the institutions they were purportedly associated with.
He recalled discovering that a market woman was among those included on the list, despite not being a member of the university staff expected to participate in the exercise.
Igini said the discovery prompted him to halt the training rather than allow individuals whose identities and eligibility were questionable to proceed.
He described the incident as an example of the importance of effective supervision and thorough verification of personnel before they are approved for electoral assignments.
He maintained that such experiences informed his concerns about the possibility of similar vulnerabilities being exploited during future elections.
IGini CALLS FOR GREATER USE OF TECHNOLOGY
The former electoral commissioner also advocated stronger technological systems to improve transparency and reduce opportunities for interference in the activities of electoral institutions.
He argued that organisations responsible for managing elections must embrace technology to strengthen their procedures and prevent administrative weaknesses from being exploited.
According to him, improving the verification of personnel records and strengthening oversight mechanisms would help reduce the risk of unauthorised individuals being deployed to polling units.
His recommendations come as preparations for the 2027 general elections continue, with the recruitment of ad hoc electoral personnel remaining an important aspect of election administration.
However, the allegations made by Igini do not, on their own, establish that a particular election was manipulated through the alleged scheme.
IGini REMINDS NIGERIANS OF THEIR ROLE IN PROTECTING ELECTIONS
Despite his concerns, Igini urged Nigerians not to underestimate the influence voters can have in safeguarding the electoral process.
He noted that Nigeria has 176,846 polling units, with four officials typically assigned to each unit, arguing that voters generally outnumber the officials responsible for administering the process.
He encouraged citizens and political parties to remain attentive during voting, counting and the documentation of results at polling units.
Igini maintained that public vigilance, effective supervision and compliance with electoral laws are essential to protecting the integrity of elections.
He also emphasised the need for relevant institutions to identify weaknesses in their procedures and address them before the next general election.
With the 2027 polls approaching, his comments have renewed attention on the need for the NYSC and INEC to strengthen personnel verification, improve accountability and prevent political interference in the recruitment and deployment of election officials.
The credibility of the elections will depend not only on the conduct of senior officials but also on the integrity of the individuals entrusted with responsibilities at polling units across the country.
