By Nigerians looking to work as temporary election personnel now have their shot, as the Independent National Electoral Commission has switched on its online recruitment portal for ad hoc staff who will help run the 2027 general elections.
Ad hoc staff are the temporary hands INEC brings on for each election cycle, trained specifically for that exercise and released once voting and collation wrap up. For 2027, the commission says it needs roughly 1.4 million of them spread across more than 176,000 polling units nationwide. Those hired will staff the Presidential and National Assembly elections set for January 16, 2027, as well as the Governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections scheduled for February 6, 2027.
According to a public notice released Thursday, the recruitment portal, known as INECPRES, went live at 8am on Friday, September 18, and will remain open until midnight on Wednesday, November 18. Applicants can reach it either directly through the INECPRES web portal or via a link on INEC’s official website.
Who Can Actually Apply
Eligibility depends heavily on which role an applicant is going for, along with their institution, employment status and educational background. Broadly, the pool INEC is drawing from includes serving and former NYSC corps members who meet specific conditions, students at federal and state tertiary institutions, eligible federal and state government workers, permanent staff of various ministries, departments and agencies, INEC’s own qualified personnel, ICT specialists, and people affiliated with institutions hosting Registration Area Centres. Because the requirements shift by category, INEC is urging applicants to check the specific conditions attached to their preferred role before submitting anything.
Supervisory Presiding Officers
This category draws from the Federal Public and Civil Service along with staff of various MDAs. The notice points to public servants within Grade Levels 10 through 14 as among those who may qualify, subject to additional conditions. Serving NYSC members are eligible too, and former corps members can qualify as long as their service falls within a window INEC has set, using 2024, 2025 and 2026 as the reference years for completed service.
Presiding Officers and Assistant Presiding Officers
These roles are open to tertiary institution students, with specific requirements varying depending on year of study, alongside certain government employees. Permanent staff at federal and state MDAs holding an OND or NCE qualification are also eligible under specified conditions, with salary grade requirements ranging from GL 07-10 to GL 07-14 depending on the exact category being applied for.
This role is tied directly to the schools and institutions that host Registration Area Centres or Super RACs. According to the notice, either the head of the hosting school or a staff member there may qualify, provided they meet the applicable conditions, including holding at least Grade Level 07.
Registration Area Technical Support
Known as RATECH, this category targets applicants with ICT and technical backgrounds. Eligible candidates include INEC’s own ICT staff at both state and headquarters level who aren’t already tied up with other duties, IT students at federal and state tertiary institutions, and, in some cases, former corps members who served within the commission.
How to Apply
The application process itself is fairly straightforward. Prospective applicants should visit the INECPRES portal, either directly or through INEC’s official website, and start by reading through the instructions and eligibility requirements for whichever positions interest them. From there, applicants select the role they qualify for, fill in the required registration details, and enter accurate personal, educational and employment information along with any other supporting details requested. Before hitting submit, applicants are advised to review everything carefully, and once the application goes through, it’s worth holding onto the registration details for future reference.
Deadline and Support
The window for applications runs from 8am on September 18 to midnight on November 18, and INEC is encouraging people not to leave things until the last day. For anyone running into trouble along the way, the commission’s IT Service Management team runs a 24-hour helpdesk, reachable through the 0700-CALL-INEC vanity number or by emailing inecpress@inec.gov.ng.
