{
  "id": 6797956,
  "title": "2027: Anambra senator urges INEC to end reliance on ad hoc staff",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/11/2027-anambra-senator-urges-inec-to-end-reliance-on-ad-hoc-staff",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-11T21:10:41.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Punch",
    "slug": "punch",
    "url": "https://punchng.com/2027-anambra-senator-urges-inec-to-end-reliance-on-ad-hoc-staff/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Victor Umeh, the Anambra Central Senator, has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to hire and train more permanent staff to handle electoral tasks and reduce its dependence on temporary personnel prior to the 2027 general elections. Made during an interview on Channels Television's Politics Today, Umeh, who is contesting re-election on the Nigeria Democratic Congress platform, warned that the transfer of electoral personnel from one state to another at the request of authorities can cause a loss of public confidence in the electoral process. He also alleged that ad hoc staff are sometimes employed to serve the interests of influential individuals in various locations. INEC currently maintains a core of permanent staff but relies on temporary personnel recruited, trained, and deployed for specific elections, releasing them afterward. These ad hoc individuals perform a range of duties, such as serving as Presiding Officers and Assistant Presiding Officers at polling units, overseeing Supervisory Presiding Officers in clusters of polling units, and managing Registration Area Centres. Umeh praised INEC's ongoing recruitment efforts but urged the commission to focus on increasing its permanent manpower and reducing its reliance on temporary workers. He believed permanent INEC personnel would be more accountable and better trained to handle electoral duties.",
  "summary": "Senator Victor Umeh (Anambra Central) urges INEC to recruit more permanent staff and phase out ad hoc personnel ahead of the 2027 general elections. Read More: https://punchng.com/2027-anambra-senator-urges-inec-to-end-reliance-on-ad-hoc-staff/",
  "key_points": [
    "Anambra Central Senator Victor Umeh urges INEC to hire more permanent staff.",
    "INEC currently relies on temporary personnel for electoral tasks.",
    "Umeh warns ad hoc staff may compromise public confidence in elections."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Punch Nigeria",
        "title": "2027: Anambra senator urges INEC to end reliance on ad hoc staff",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/11/2027-anambra-senator-urges-inec-to-end-reliance-on-ad-hoc-staff-6800326",
        "published": "2026-09-11T21:26:37.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}