Over 1.5 Million Nigerians Complete Voter Registration as INEC Releases New Figures

(Voters Cards. Photo by Vangurd News)

The Independent National Electoral Commission says no fewer than 1,565,873 Nigerians have successfully completed their voter registration as of June 26.

The figure was recorded at the end of the seventh week of Phase III of the commission's Continuous Voter Registration exercise.

According to statistics released by INEC on Tuesday in Abuja, the figure comprises 620,933 citizens who completed their online pre-registration and 944,940 who registered physically.

The commission, however, said the statistics remain preliminary, pending a comprehensive data clean-up during the scheduled period for public claims and objections, after which the Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS) will be deployed.

The state-by-state breakdown showed that Kano recorded the highest number of registrants, with 118,207, representing 7.55 per cent of the national total.

It was followed by Lagos with 78,360 registrants, representing five per cent, and Delta with 76,395, representing 4.88 per cent.

INEC also said voter registration had been temporarily suspended in Ekiti and Osun states due to the just-concluded governorship election in Ekiti and the forthcoming governorship election in Osun, in compliance with Section 9(6) of the Electoral Act 2022.

The gender distribution showed that female registrants accounted for 821,276, representing 52.45 per cent of the total, while male registrants accounted for 744,597, representing 47.55 per cent.

The age distribution indicated that youths aged 18 to 34 dominated the exercise, accounting for 1,082,985 registrants, or 69.16 per cent of the total, followed by people aged 35 to 49, with 331,376 registrants, representing 21.16 per cent, while older age groups accounted for the remainder.

The occupational breakdown showed that students formed the largest category of new registrants, with 384,093, representing 24.53 per cent, followed by business owners with 333,539 registrants, representing 21.30 per cent, and those engaged in farming or fishing with 273,627 registrants, representing 17.47 per cent.

The statistics also disclosed that 18,919 Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) registered during the period.

INEC urged eligible citizens who are yet to register to use its online portal at https://cvr.inec.gov.ng or visit designated physical CVR centres nationwide to ensure they are eligible to vote in future elections.