By The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says more than 3.5 million Nigerians have taken advantage of its online portal to begin voter registration since the exercise resumed last month.
In a statement issued on Monday, Sam Olumekun, the National Commissioner in charge of Information and Voter Education, confirmed that “as at Sunday 7th September 2025, a total of 3,544,850 Nigerians have now pre-registered online in three weeks since the commencement of the exercise on 18th August 2025.”
INEC’s figures show that slightly more women are engaging with the process, with 51.76 per cent (1,834,917) of registrants being female, while men account for 48.24 per cent (1,709,933). Young people between the ages of 18 and 34 remain the driving force of the exercise, representing 64.65 per cent (2,291,809). Students alone make up nearly a quarter of the registrants, at 24.89 per cent (882,441).
Beyond online sign-ups, the commission has started releasing figures for in-person enrolment, which began on 25th August. By 4th September, a total of 288,614 Nigerians had completed the process physically. Of this number, 132,634 (45.96 per cent) were male, while 155,980 (54.04 per cent) were female. Again, youths dominated, with 74.64 per cent (215,414) of the registrations coming from the 18–34 age bracket. Students accounted for 39.55 per cent (114,150).
A state-by-state breakdown shows Osun leading the pack with 518,635 online pre-registrants, about 14.6 per cent of the nationwide figure. Lagos followed with 440,647 (12.4 per cent), while Ogun (348,217) and Borno (296,409) also recorded significant turnouts. Other states with relatively high participation include Kebbi (193,781), Kaduna (187,480), the FCT (180,260), and Yobe (173,731). Enugu, however, recorded the lowest number with just 1,203 pre-registrants.
Olumekun praised citizens and civic groups for their efforts in encouraging participation, stressing that the exercise is open only to eligible Nigerians.
“We wish to reiterate that voter registration is only open to citizens who are 18 years or older at the time of registration,” he said. “It is illegal for anyone to encourage underage registration or those below 18 years of age to register in anticipation that they will attain the legal age of voting by the time the general election is held in 2027.”
INEC urged continued public cooperation as the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise progresses, reminding Nigerians that the integrity of the electoral process begins with credible voter data.
