The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has officially launched its recruitment portal for temporary election staff ahead of the 2027 general elections. The commission aims to deploy approximately 1.4 million ad hoc personnel across more than 176,000 polling units nationwide. Applications opened at 8am on Friday, September 18, 2026, and will close at midnight on Wednesday, November 18, 2026.
Portal and Application Timeline
INEC announced the recruitment exercise through a public notice on Thursday, directing interested applicants to apply via its official website or directly through the dedicated INECPRES web portal. The online platform is designed to streamline the application process for all five categories of election personnel being recruited.
The commission is recruiting for Supervisory Presiding Officers (SPOs), Presiding Officers (POs), Assistant Presiding Officers (APOs), Registration Area Centre Managers (RAC Managers), and Registration Area Technical Support staff (RATECHs). Each category has specific eligibility requirements that applicants must meet before submitting their applications.
Eligibility Requirements by Category
Eligible applicants include serving NYSC members, former corps members who completed service within the three years preceding the election, students of federal and state tertiary institutions, federal and state government employees, permanent staff of Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), qualified INEC personnel, ICT professionals, and staff of institutions designated to host Registration Area Centres.
For the SPO category, public-sector workers on Grade Levels 10 to 14 are among those who may qualify. The PO and APO roles are open to tertiary institution students and certain MDA employees with OND or NCE qualifications on Grade Levels 07 to 14, depending on the specific category. RAC Manager positions are tied to schools and institutions hosting registration centres, with the head or a staff member of such an institution eligible at Grade Level 07 and above. The RATECH category targets candidates with ICT backgrounds, including INEC IT staff not engaged in other duties and IT students from federal and state institutions.
How to Submit an Application
Applicants are required to visit the INECPRES portal, read through the eligibility guidelines, choose a position they qualify for, fill in their personal, educational, and employment details accurately, and submit the completed form. INEC advised all prospective applicants to review the eligibility conditions specific to each role before selecting a position, as requirements differ across categories.
The commission also advised applicants to save their registration details after submission and to avoid waiting until the final day before applying. Those recruited will serve during the Presidential and National Assembly elections on January 16, 2027, and the Governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections on February 6, 2027.
For enquiries about the platform, INEC's IT Service Management operates a round-the-clock helpdesk reachable on the 0700-CALL-INEC vanity number or by email at inecpress@inec.gov.ng. According to PUNCH, INEC announced the exercise through a public notice, directing interested persons to apply via its official website or the INECPRES web portal directly.
