By Balarabe Oshiafi
Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says more than 1.37 million citizens completed online voter pre-registration in the first week of the nationwide exercise, underscoring strong early engagement ahead of upcoming elections.
The data shows a near-even gender split, with 661,846 men (47.96%) and 717,856 women (52.04%) registering. Young Nigerians aged 18 to 34 years make up the majority, accounting for 860,286 registrants, or 62.37% of the total.
In its update, INEC reported that 374,534 registrants (27.15%) are students, while 27,089 (1.96%) are persons with disabilities. The full breakdown has been published on the Commission’s website and other official platforms.
In a statement, National Commissioner and Chairman of Information and Voter Education, committee Sam Olumekun, announced that physical registration has commenced across INEC’s 811 state and local government offices nationwide.
He explained that this will enable citizens who prefer in-person registration to do so at the designated centres, while those who began the process online can complete their registration.
“The Commission appeals to the public that the ongoing voter registration is only open to Nigerian citizens who are at least 18 years old and who are not registered voters. Double or multiple registration is a violation of the law. However, inter-State/FCT and intra-State/FCT transfer of voters as well as the replacement of lost or damaged voters’ cards are allowed during the CVR,“ he noted.
He stated that the exercise will continue for one year until 30th August 2026; however, he emphasised that the Commission urged all intending registrants not to wait until the deadline approaches, when, from experience, the registration centres are inundated by eleventh-hour registrants amidst appeals for extension of time.
