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SubjectFree lesson

Electoral Commission and Electoral Officials

ClassNotes Team 6 MIN READUPDATED 13 JUN 2026

Government S.S.S 2 First Term

WEEK 4

Electoral Commission and Electoral Officials

Performance Objectives

Student should be able to:

   1. Define Electoral Commission

   2. Enumerate the rules of the various electoral officers

  3.  List the functions of the electoral commission

Electoral Commission

This is a body responsible for organising and conducting an election in a political system. It can also be seen as an independent and impartial body responsible for conducting and organizing all election in a given country.

Features Electoral Commission

1. Organising and conducting election

2. Free and Fair election

3. Announcement of election results

4. It is an independent body

5. Controlled and headed by a chairman

6. A neutral body

7. It is guided by the constitution

8. Must be honest and fair

Functions of Electoral Commission

1. Registration of parties

2. Registration of voters

3. Provision of electoral materials

4. Financial grants to parties

5. Informs the people type of voting to be conducted.

6. Screening of candidates

7. Provides adequate security at the polling stations

Electoral Officials

Electoral officials are permanent staffs of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) who handles the conduct and supervision of election in Nigeria. There are also other persons or organisations involved in the conduct of election namely:

  i. Falling or party agents ii. Security agents.

  iii. Representatives of the media iv. Observers group and the voters

Roles of Electoral Officials

Election officials have a major role in the electoral process. The manners in which they discharge their duties affect the degree of confidence voters have in the electoral process and INEC. All the actions of the elected officials should be characterised by the highest standards of integrity, impartiality, transparency, professionalism, gender sensitivity and support for elders and those who are physically challenged.

Below are the list of permanent Electoral Officials of INEC

1. Chairman of the commission

     He is the Chief Electoral commissioner

2. National Electoral commissioner

    They are members of the commission who make politics for the successful conduct of all electoral activities.

3. Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs)

    They are responsible for the conduct and supervision of the elections in a state and Federal Capital Territory.

 

4. Electoral Officers (EOs)

    They are responsible for conducting and supervising election in local government Area or Area councils.

5. Returning Officers

    It is their duties to collate and declare the score of the candidates and

    declare the winner in an election in a particular constituency

6. Collation Officers

     They are in charge of collating results from the polling stations. There  

     are Collation Officers of various levels, these are:

      i. Registration area/ward C O

      ii. Local government Area C O

      iii. State constituency C O

      iv. Federal constituency C O

       v. Secretarial District C O

       vi. State C O

       vii. Chief Electoral commission

 

7. Supervisory Presiding Officer

     Supervises the conduct of the poll in a cluster of a polling unit

Electoral Officer

The electoral officer is required to appoint a deputy electoral officer to perform these duties if he/she becomes incapable of doing so. The deputy electoral officer has the full powers of an electoral officer and must continue to act until the electoral officer regains capability or a new electoral officer is appointed. The electoral officer, deputy electoral officer, and other electoral officials perform their functions and duties independently of the council. Candidates for election cannot be appointed or act as electoral officials

Polling Officer

The role of the polling station staff is to ensure that voters can cast their vote in secret, free from influence and in a calm description.

Polling station officers greet voters, answer questions, and provide impartial guidance to help ensure the voting process is simple, straight forward and accurate. They protect the integrity of the voting process and serve their communities through their contributions. In addition to providing a civic service, being a polling station officer also serves a pressing public need.

Presiding Officer

Presiding Officers are responsible for the conduct in their polling station and must have a good knowledge of the voting procedures. As a Presiding Officer, you will be responsible for complying with all instructions and ensuring the integrity and secrecy of the ballot. You will assign work to the Poll Clerk(s), ensuring the accuracy of the poll and account for all of the ballot papers. You will be responsible for collecting and delivering your ballot box and you may have responsibility for ensuring your polling building is open and closed on the day.

Polling Clerk

As Poll Clerk assist the Presiding Officer to run a polling station. He helps to set up polling station equipment, assist in the issue of ballot papers to members of the public, mark the electoral register and assist in the accurate completion of paperwork. A Poll Clerk is not permitted to have carried out duties on behalf of any political party or candidate at the election. All staff will be required to sign their agreement to this and that they will maintain the secrecy of the poll.

Polling Agent

A polling agent is someone appointed by either the election agent of a candidate standing for election or where there is no election agent the candidate personally, to oversee the conduct of the poll at polling stations, from the installation of empty ballot boxes, through the day as voters cast their ballots until the ballot boxes are sealed and collected for delivery to the count centre. The primary purpose of a polling agent is to assist in the detection of personation.

The appointment of a polling agent is not legally required. Polling agents are appointed after the period when nominations to the election are made. The election timetable states when counting agents have to be appointed, usually about a week before the polling day. Only one polling agent per candidate may be admitted at any one time to a polling station, and they may not take information out of the polling station.