INEC voter registration reached nearly 3.9 million as more Nigerians signed up ahead of the 2027 general elections during Phase III of the exercise.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) announced that 3,867,997 Nigerians successfully completed the online and physical registration process by the eleventh week of Phase III of the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise. The commission said women accounted for the largest share of new voters, recording 2,037,589 registrations, representing 52.68 per cent, while 1,830,408 men registered, making up 47.32 per cent.
According to INEC, 1,170,134 registrations were completed online, while 2,697,863 were carried out at physical registration centres nationwide. The commission also revealed that young people aged 18 to 34 dominated the exercise with 2,602,960 registrations, representing 67.29 per cent of the total. Those aged 35 to 49 recorded 843,757 registrations, while 386,095 registrants were between 50 and 69 years. Citizens aged 70 years and above accounted for 35,185 registrations.
Among occupational groups, students led with 892,946 registrations, followed by businesspersons with 810,452. Other registrants included farmers and fishers (649,358), housewives (640,569), artisans (204,660), traders (175,206), civil servants (97,328) and public servants (65,114).
INEC also reported that 41,092 persons with disabilities registered during the exercise. This included 20,601 classified under the “Others” category and 7,038 persons with albinism, alongside registrants who are blind, deaf, autistic, physically challenged, of little stature, living with Down syndrome, spinal cord injuries and cognitive learning disabilities.
A state-by-state breakdown showed Kano recorded the highest number of registrations with 330,906, followed by Lagos (181,254), Delta (166,895), Edo (156,150), Ebonyi (146,507) and Sokoto (145,160). Ekiti recorded the lowest figure with 2,276 registrations, while Ondo recorded 23,824. INEC noted that no registration took place in Osun State because of the forthcoming governorship election, in line with Section 9(6) of the Electoral Act 2022. The commission added that the INEC voter registration figures remain provisional and will undergo data clean-up, public claims and objections, as well as verification through the Automated Biometric Identification System before the final voter register is produced. The INEC voter registration exercise remains a key step in preparing for the 2027 polls.
Do you think the high turnout of young voters will shape the outcome of the 2027 general elections?
