Youths Account for 70% of New INEC Registrations

By Babatunji Wusu| More than half a million Nigerians have completed the Continuous Voter Registration exercise, with young people and women emerging as the biggest participants in the latest figures released by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The commission disclosed that 581,298 completed voter registrations were recorded nationwide as of May 29, 2026, during the third week of the exercise. Of the total number, 321,921 applicants completed their registration online, while 259,377 concluded the process through physical registration centres.

The latest voter registration exercise attracted strong participation from young Nigerians. According to INEC, 409,862 registrants were between the ages of 18 and 34, representing 70.51 per cent of all completed applications. Those aged 35 to 49 accounted for 118,906 registrations, while 47,704 people were between 50 and 69 years old. Only 4,826 registrants were aged 70 and above.

Women also recorded higher participation than men in the voter registration exercise. Female registrants stood at 304,256, making up 52.34 per cent of the total, while male applicants accounted for 277,042 registrations.

State-by-state data showed that Kano State recorded the highest number of registrations with 49,603, followed by Sokoto State with 32,293 and Lagos State with 27,294. Several other states, including Jigawa, Kaduna, Taraba, Niger, Nasarawa, Katsina and Gombe, also posted strong figures.

Students emerged as the largest occupational group among new registrants, with 142,667 registrations. Business owners, farmers, fishers and housewives also recorded significant participation.

INEC further revealed that 9,018 persons with disabilities completed the exercise, reflecting efforts to make the electoral process more inclusive. The commission noted that all figures remain provisional and will be subjected to biometric verification and data clean-up before final certification.