CVR: Osun leads as 1.3m voters register in one week

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said no fewer than 1,379,342 Nigerians have completed online pre-registration for voter registration within one week of the exercise. INEC National Commissioner and Chairman of Information and Voter Education Committee, Sam Olumekun, disclosed this in a statement yesterday, noting that the figure was recorded between August 18 and 24. […]

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said no fewer than 1,379,342 Nigerians have completed online pre-registration for voter registration within one week of the exercise.

INEC National Commissioner and Chairman of Information and Voter Education Committee, Sam Olumekun, disclosed this in a statement yesterday, noting that the figure was recorded between August 18 and 24.

“The breakdown of the online pre-registrations shows that 661,846 (47.96%) are male and 717,856 (52.04%) are female. Young people between the ages of 18 and 34 constitute the majority of the registrants with 860,286 (62.37%),” Olumekun said.

He explained that students accounted for 374,534 (27.15%) of the registrants, while 27,089 persons with disabilities also took part in the exercise, representing 1.96 percent.

A state-by-state breakdown of the figures shows that Osun recorded the highest number of pre-registrations with 393,269, representing 28.5 percent of the total, followed by Lagos with 222,205 (16.1 percent), and Ogun with 132,823 (9.6 percent). The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) also had a strong showing with 107,682 registrants.

On the other hand, the bottom five are Ebonyi with only 261 registrants, Imo (481), Enugu (484), Abia (772), and Taraba (2,395).

In the North, Kaduna (61,592), Kogi (58,546), and Kebbi (35,009) led in pre-registration, while in the South-West, apart from Osun and Lagos, Oyo recorded 66,951 and Ekiti 29,685. In the North-East, Borno stood out with 21,045, while Yobe registered 34,888.

Analysts say Osun’s high turnout may not be unconnected with the state’s 2026 governorship election, which, along with that of neighbouring Ekiti, is expected to be a major battleground ahead of the 2027 general elections.

According to INEC, physical registration has commenced nationwide in 811 state and local government offices to enable those who prefer in-person registration or those who need to complete their online pre-registration to do so.

“Once again, 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,” Olumekun added.

He further clarified that inter-state and intra-state transfers of voters, as well as the replacement of lost or damaged voter cards, would be allowed during the continuous voter registration (CVR) exercise.

The commission urged Nigerians not to wait until the closing period before registering. “The exercise will continue for one year until 30th August 2026. However, 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,” Olumekun said.