If you thought rigging only happens at collation centres, former INEC Commissioner Mike Igini says you should think again — it starts from the polling unit, and with the people wearing NYSC uniforms.
In an interview now trending on YouTube and TikTok, Igini, who served as Akwa Ibom Resident Electoral Commissioner, raised a serious alarm: politicians may compromise NYSC lists to manipulate the 2027 elections.
According to him, what happens is simple but dangerous. Politicians infiltrate electoral agencies and influence the lists submitted to INEC. They replace trained, real corps members with their cronies — random people who are not corps members — give them NYSC uniforms, and deploy them as presiding officers to critical polling units. Once there, they can do whatever they want with ballot papers.
“The offspring of influential politicians are not the ones stationed at polling units; it’s the youth corps members who shoulder the primary responsibilities on election day and consequently face the associated risks,” Igini said. He warned that if the lists are not verified, we will have fake corps members deciding real election results in 2027.
Politicians May Compromise NYSC Lists To Manipulate 2027 Elections – Igini
Politicians infiltrate electoral agencies and compromise the integrity of election officials. NYSC must verify the integrity of its personnel lists, as compromised lists could allow individuals posing as… pic.twitter.com/pgpYHgZiB5
— ARISE NEWS (@ARISEtv) October 20, 2026
This is not new. During the 2023 Bayelsa off-cycle election, a group called PIDOM Nigeria alleged on X that trained NYSC ad-hoc staff were replaced with unknown names. And Igini has been consistent — in 2019 in Benin City, he also raised alarm about politicians trying to infiltrate NYSC ad-hoc staff.
His biggest worry now goes beyond NYSC. He also warned that Section 63 of the controversial 2026 Electoral Act could allow presiding officers to accept ballot papers without INEC’s official security features — a loophole that could make manipulation even easier.
For the average Nigerian youth serving in NYSC, this is scary. You leave your home, you risk your life at a polling unit — and some politician has already replaced your colleague with a tout in your uniform.
If INEC and NYSC do not audit those lists before 2027, Igini says, the election may be compromised before it even starts.
Mary K. is a Staff Writer at XTrend.ng covering metro, lifestyle and human-interest stories. She brings trending voices from the streets to the screen — with clear, relatable reporting that connects.
