The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says more than 2.6 million Nigerians have so far registered in the ongoing nationwide Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise.
In a statement made available to The News Chronicle on Tuesday, National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Sam Olumekun, said the figures drawn from both online and in-person processes reflect an encouraging level of civic engagement across the country.
According to the Commission, the online pre-registration portal, which opened on August 18, has already recorded 2,532,062 entries in just two weeks. A gender breakdown shows that 1,218,482 (48.12 per cent) are male, while 1,313,580 (51.88 per cent) are female.
The data also revealed a strong youth presence, with 1,602,484 registrants (63.29 per cent) aged between 18 and 34. Students make up 25.57 per cent of the total figure.
Olumekun explained that the online pre-registration system, introduced in 2021, offers Nigerians the flexibility to initiate the process at any time and from anywhere in the world. However, he stressed that all applicants must still complete the process in person at INEC’s 811 state and local government offices, where their biometrics will be captured.
“Without appearing physically at our registration centres, the online pre-registration remains invalid,” he cautioned.
Meanwhile, for Nigerians without access to digital facilities or those who prefer in-person registration, INEC said it has deployed staff across its 811 offices nationwide. The physical exercise, which began on August 25, recorded 72,274 registrants in its first five days. Out of this number, 36,652 (50.71 per cent) are female, while 35,622 (49.29 per cent) are male. Youths aged 18 to 34 accounted for 75.71 per cent, while students made up 42.83 per cent.
The Commission added that state-by-state, gender, age, occupation, and disability statistics have been published on its official website and platforms.
INEC commended civil society groups and organisations that have mobilised citizens for the exercise and expressed satisfaction with the strong turnout.
