The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has begun recruiting 1.4 million ad hoc staff who will perform their duties during the 2027 general elections.
The commission has launched an online application portal, INECPRES, on Friday to begin accepting applications from Nigerians willing to take part in conducting the election.
They will be trained, after which they will be deployed to more than 176,000 polling stations across the country for the election.
Presidential and National Assembly elections are expected to be held on January 16, 2027, whereas governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections will be conducted on February 6, 2027.
According to a notice issued by INEC on Thursday, applications will start on September 18, 2026, at 8 a.m. and will be open till midnight on November 18, 2026.
INEC has informed that applications can be made under any of the five categories of temporary election staff.
The list includes: Supervisory Presiding Officers (SPOs), Presiding Officers (POs), Assistant Presiding Officers (APOs), Registration Area Centre (RAC) Managers and Registration Area Technical Support (RATECH) personnel.
According to the commission, the conditions vary depending on the position applied for, the applicant’s educational qualifications, the employment status of the applicant and the institution to which the applicant belongs.
The eligible applicants include: serving and former members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), students in federal and state tertiary institutions, eligible civil servants, permanent MDA workers, INEC ICT workers who meet the criteria and personnel from designated institutions to host registration centres.
INEC says that the eligible public servants in the Federal Public/Civil Service and MDAs on Grade Levels 10 to 14 can apply for the SPO position. Serving NYSC members and former corps members who served in the three years, 2024, 2025 and 2026, as stipulated by the commission, are also eligible.
The PO and APO applicants include: students of federal and state tertiary institutions depending on the year of study, and permanent MDA workers with OND and NCE qualifications depending on the salary grade levels
RAC Manager Positions: The recruitment is aimed at the heads of institutions and Grade Level 07 and above in the schools and public institutions that have been identified to offer services as Registration Area Centres or Super RACs.
RATECH: The RATECH positions are meant for individuals with ICT experience. Eligible INEC ICT staff at the state and headquarters levels who are not otherwise engaged, ICT students in the federal and state institutions of higher learning, and eligible former corps members qualify to apply.
Application Process
The application for this recruitment must be done via the online platform. Applicants are expected to log in to the INECPRES portal directly or using the INEC website and go through the application guidelines and eligibility criteria for the desired position.
Having selected an appropriate job, applicants are expected to key in their personal, academic, and employment details.
INEC has advised the applicants to verify their entries before sending in their applications and to retain their application numbers.
Applicants requiring technical support or seeking clarifications on the process may reach out to INEC’s 24/7 IT Service Management helpdesk on the toll-free number 0700-CALL-INEC or via email at [email protected].
