Former Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Commissioner Mike Igini has raised the alarm over alleged attempts by politicians to manipulate National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) lists to influence the outcome of elections ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Igini warned that the alleged practice could undermine the credibility of Nigeria’s electoral process, stressing the need to digitise the NYSC system to prevent unauthorised persons from being recruited as polling officials.
Speaking on INEC’s preparedness for the forthcoming elections, he explained that the NYSC list had reportedly been infiltrated in the past, creating opportunities for politicians to compromise the recruitment of election officials.
According to him, some politicians allegedly manipulate the lists at the state level, introduce fake corps members and provide them with NYSC uniforms to make them appear legitimate during elections.
He explained that such individuals could end up working at polling units after allegedly being presented to election officials through compromised arrangements.
Igini emphasised that embracing technology was crucial to protecting the electoral system from manipulation and ensuring greater transparency.
“Any organisation that fails to embrace technology will be overtaken by chaos, or decay or decline,” he warned.
Despite these concerns, the former INEC commissioner urged Nigerians not to underestimate their influence during elections. He pointed out that only four officials are normally deployed to each polling unit, while voters significantly outnumber them.
According to him, this numerical advantage gives voters an important role in safeguarding the integrity of the electoral process and preventing electoral malpractice.
How Politicians Infiltrating NYSC Lists To Rig Elections – Ex INEC Official, Mike Igini
Former Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Commissioner Mike Igini has raised the alarm over alleged attempts by politicians to manipulate National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) lists to influence the outcome of elections ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Igini warned that the alleged practice could undermine the credibility of Nigeria’s electoral process, stressing the need to digitise the NYSC system to prevent unauthorised persons from being recruited as polling officials.
Speaking on INEC’s preparedness for the forthcoming elections, he explained that the NYSC list had reportedly been infiltrated in the past, creating opportunities for politicians to compromise the recruitment of election officials.
According to him, some politicians allegedly manipulate the lists at the state level, introduce fake corps members and provide them with NYSC uniforms to make them appear legitimate during elections.
He explained that such individuals could end up working at polling units after allegedly being presented to election officials through compromised arrangements.
Igini emphasised that embracing technology was crucial to protecting the electoral system from manipulation and ensuring greater transparency.
“Any organisation that fails to embrace technology will be overtaken by chaos, or decay or decline,” he warned.
Despite these concerns, the former INEC commissioner urged Nigerians not to underestimate their influence during elections. He pointed out that only four officials are normally deployed to each polling unit, while voters significantly outnumber them.
According to him, this numerical advantage gives voters an important role in safeguarding the integrity of the electoral process and preventing electoral malpractice.
Igini also recalled his experience supervising elections in Osun State in August 2014, particularly in Ife South, where he said measures were taken to frustrate attempts to rig the election.
He maintained that his experience showed that electoral manipulation could be resisted when the process was properly supervised and safeguards were effectively enforced.
With the 2027 general elections approaching, Igini’s warning has renewed attention on the need for stronger electoral safeguards, a more transparent system for recruiting polling officials and the adoption of technology to protect the credibility of Nigeria’s elections.
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