Voter registration: Where it stands
A crucial aspect of the process that would enhance the conduct of the 2027 general elections commenced with the continuous voter registration exercise.
But this is not without comments in some places, ranging from allegations that some politicians were trying to give some states “undue advantage” to have more people registered.
Weekend Trust reports that like never seen before, community leaders, politicians and clerics have also commenced mobilising their followers, even though experts believe that at the institutional level, more needs to be done.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had announced the opening of a portal for online registration which commenced on Monday, August 18, 2025, at 8.30am.
- Insecurity: IDPs take over schools in Benue, Niger, Katsina
- Katsina: Bandits kill 6, kidnap 130 in 3 days
The commission later commenced the in-person registration option on Monday, August 25, 2025, at its 811 state and local government offices nationwide.
A statement by Sam Olumekun, National Commissioner and Chairman, Information & Voter Education Committee, said the voter registration is only open to Nigerian citizens who are at least 18 years old and who are not registered voters.
The exercise allows people to update their voter registration information; transfer their cards to another polling unit; replace damaged or lost PVC and help people identify centres near to them when they want to register.
Position of states according to online registration
A breakdown of online registrations by states so far shows as follows; Abia recorded 1,845; Adamawa: 5,383; Akwa Ibom: 22,638; Bauchi, 26,729; Bayelsa, 9,549; Benue:16,186; Borno: 135,661; Cross River: 9,340; Delta: 47,718; Ebonyi 490; Edo: 6,373; Ekiti, 60,556; Enugu: 856, FCT: 152,250, Gombe: 11,179, Imo: 33,415; Jigawa: 16,755; Kaduna: 127,852. Kano: 29,042; Katsina: 28,587, Kebbi; 113, 884 . Kogi: 124,239; Kwara: 57,132. Others are; Lagos; 355,372; Nasarawa: 23,374; Niger: 45,580, Ogun: 265,39; Ondo: 6,784; Osun: 474,372; Oyo: 128,231; Plateau: 20,447, Rivers: 18,147, Sokoto: 32,517;Taraba: 10,177; Yobe: 101,622 and Zamfara: 12,381. The figure for Anambra State was not presented in the INEC list.
Figures according to in-person registrations
According to data available, Abia has 333; Adamawa, 2,718; Akwa Ibom, 5,470;
Bauchi; 2.189; Bayelsa, 1,119; Benue, 1032; Borno, 2,577; Cross River 509; Delta,
1,458, Ebonyi, 210; Edo, 1,848; Ekiti; 1.130; Enugu, 240; FCT, 422; Gombe,
1,671; Imo, 670; Jigawa, 2,385; Kaduna, 1744, Kano, 5,019; Katsina, 4,396; Kebbi, 3.966; Kogi, 2,659; Kwara, 676; Lagos, 2,178; Nasarawa, 1,461; Niger, 3.207, Ogun, 2,695; Ondo, 1636; Osun, 568; Oyo, 2,988; Plateau,1588; Rivers, 1,726; Sokoto, 4,525; Taraba, 784; Yobe, 2,274 and Zamfara,2,203. Also, just like in the list provided for the online registration, the figure for Anambra State was not presented in the INEC figure.
Challenges
When the process commenced, our correspondents who monitored the exercise report that the reactions varied from place to place.
While there was enthusiasm in some states, others recorded minimal participation.
In the northern part of the country, people seem to prefer the physical registration while in the South, the online registration seemed preferable, apparently due to internet penetration. There have also been reports of poor network at some centres.
The voter education, according to what our correspondents gathered, was not enough and people, especially in the rural areas were not aware that such an exercise was going on.
“I heard about it, but I thought it was awareness for the future not knowing that it was going on” said 22-year-old Dupe who lives in one of the suburbs in the FCT.
There’s also the challenge of insecurity in many local governments that are under siege by non-state actors and some centres in Borno State had to be relocated to the state capital.
For INEC, there were challenges like inability to remove names of deceased persons as people don’t report deaths of relations.
A former INEC commissioner, Mr Festus Okoye, explained that the removal of deceased persons’ names from the voters’ register is cumbersome.
“The National Population Commission (NPC) is responsible for the data on births and deaths. Unfortunately, only a few Nigerians report deaths when they occur or file a report to the appropriate agency of government, which is the National Population Commission.
“The commission cannot unilaterally remove the names of persons from the voters’ register. During the display of the voters’ register for claims and objections pursuant to section 19 of the Electoral Act, 2022, a few Nigerians reported deaths, and this makes it difficult to remove names from the register.
The commission sometimes relies on obituaries in newspapers to remove the names of prominent Nigerians who have passed on,” he said.
Weekend Trust also gathered that there is the problem of defaced cards and loss of cards by those who had registered previously.
Many respondents who spoke with our correspondents admit that the voter registration exercise is very important as it enables people to votes on election days.
Checks by our correspondents revealed that politicians, especially those intending to contest elections place importance on the registration of voters as that gives them an idea to evaluate their areas of strength and weaknesses.
“If you know where your strength lies, you can begin to calculate the number of votes in percentages and from that extrapolate where your opponent has an edge,” said a politician who doesn’t want to be named.
As a result, many of them are involved in the mobilisation of people to register.
The politician added that in previous elections politicians targeted areas where the votes are high. He said presidential candidates normally work extra hard to win in Lagos, Kano, Rivers and Kaduna.
For INEC, the exercise provides it with enough data to plan the number of cards and logistics to mobilise for elections.
North West tops in-person registration, South West ahead in online pre-registration
INEC, in the data released on August 31, 2025, showed that the North West recorded the highest number of new in-person voter registrations, with 24,238 completed registrations, representing 33.5 per cent of the national total.
Within the zone, Kano State led with 5,019 new registrants, followed by Sokoto with 4,525 and Katsina with 4,396. States like Jigawa and Zamfara also recorded relatively strong numbers.
The North East followed with 12,213 new voters, while the South South registered 12,130.
The South West accounted for 11,175, and North Central 11,045. The data also shows that the South East recorded only 2,473 new in-person registrants, less than four per cent of the total.
Nevertheless, the online pre-registration figures presented a sharp contrast, with the South West accounting for more than half of the total entries nationwide. Out of 2.57 million online pre-registrations, the zone recorded 1.29 million, representing 50 per cent of the total. Osun State alone accounted for 474,372 pre-registrations, while Lagos followed with 355,372. Ogun also contributed significantly with 265,399 entries. In the North Central, 439,208 pre-registrations were recorded, representing 17.3 per cent of the total.
The North West followed with 360,018, about 14.2 per cent, while the North East had 290,751 or 11.5 per cent. The South South recorded 113,765, making up 4.5 per cent, while the South East recorded the lowest figure with just 36,606, representing 1.5 per cent of the national total.
Youths dominate registration
The age breakdown of new registrants shows that young Nigerians continue to lead in the Continuous Voter Registration exercise. For the in-person registration, youths aged 18 to 34 accounted for 54,718 entries, representing 75.7 per cent of the 72,274 total registrants. The middle-aged group between 35 and 49 years followed with 11,494 registrations, or 15.9 per cent. Elderly citizens aged 50 to 69 recorded 5,361 registrations, representing 7.4 per cent, while those aged 70 and above made up the smallest category with 701 entries, or less than one per cent.
The online pre-registration platform also reflected a youth majority, though at a lower margin. Out of 2,530,062 pre-registrants, 1,602,484 were youths between 18 and 34 years, accounting for 63.3 per cent of the total. The middle-aged group (35–49 years) had 615,809 entries, or 24.3 per cent, while elderly persons aged 50 to 69 contributed 279,218 registrations, representing 11 per cent. Citizens aged 70 years and above recorded 34,551 registrations, amounting to just 1.4 per cent. The figures indicate that while youths remain the driving force of voter registration across both platforms, the online process attracted a relatively higher share of middle-aged and elderly Nigerians compared to the physical centres.
Persons with disabilities
The commission also highlighted the participation of persons with disabilities in the exercise. Data from the Continuous Voter Registration shows that 998 PWDs took part in the in-person registration, accounting for 1.38 per cent of the total physical registrants. The online pre-registration platform, however, attracted a much higher figure, with 51,649 PWDs completing their entries, representing 2.04 per cent of all online registrants. Altogether, this brings the number of persons with disabilities who registered through both platforms to 52,647 nationwide. A closer look at the figures shows that persons with albinism formed the largest group with 4,524 registrants, followed by those with physical impediments (5,120), blindness (4,018), and deafness (2,012). Others included autism (2,126), cognitive learning disability (1,651), spinal cord injury (377), little stature (2,033) and Down syndrome (354). INEC also recorded more than 30,000 registrants under “other forms of disability”, which cut across a range of conditions not specifically classified.
Gender distribution
The data also shows that 35,622 men were captured in the in-person registration, representing 49.3 per cent of the total, while 36,652 women accounted for 50.7 per cent. A similar pattern emerged in the online pre-registration. Out of 2,530,062 pre-registrants, 1,218,482 were male, making up 48.1 per cent, while 1,313,580 were female, representing 51.9 per cent. The numbers suggest that women slightly outnumber men in both physical and online voter registration, reinforcing the growing participation of female voters in the electoral process.
Low engagement of civil servants
The occupational breakdown of registrants revealed that civil servants made up one of the smallest groups in the ongoing voter registration. In the in-person exercise, only 2,141 civil servants registered, accounting for 2.96 per cent of the total, while in the online pre-registration, 73,331 civil servants participated, representing just 2.9 per cent. Public servants fared even lower, with fewer than one per cent of registrants across both platforms. By contrast, students dominated the process. In the in-person registration, 30,953 students were captured, making up 42.8 per cent of the total, while online, 647,528 students registered, representing 25.6 per cent of all entries. Business owners followed, accounting for 17.3 per cent of in-person registrants (12,509) and 23.6 per cent of online pre-registrants (597,995). The INEC data further shows that artisans represented 6.9 per cent in-person (4,971) and 8.7 per cent online (218,950), while those engaged in farming and fishing were 7.9 per cent in-person (5,757) and 10.8 per cent online (272,933). Housewives were 12.8 per cent in-person (9,275) and 8.1 per cent online (204,974).2023 voter statistics show wide gaps in PVC collection across Nigeria. A total of 93.4 million voters were registered ahead of the 2023 elections. Out of this, 86.2 million PVCs were collected, while over 7.2 million cards remained unclaimed. The data highlights both successes and challenges in voter preparedness. While regions like the North West and South East recorded impressive collection rates, urban centres such as Lagos and Kano still struggled with high numbers of uncollected cards. The North West emerged with the highest voter strength, recording 22.2 million registered voters and more than 21.4 million collected PVCs. Despite the high turnout, about 809,000 cards remained uncollected in the zone. The South West had the second-largest voter base with 17.9 million registered voters. However, it also recorded the highest regional gap, as more than 2.4 million PVCs were left uncollected. In the South South, 14.4 million people registered, but only 13.2 million picked up their PVCs, leaving over 1.15 million cards unclaimed. The North Central zone registered 15.3 million voters, with about 759,000 PVCs uncollected. The North East had 12.5 million registered voters, with around 605,000 unclaimed PVCs. The South East recorded the lowest regional shortfall, with 10.9 million registered voters and only 506,000 uncollected PVCs, representing one of the most efficient collection rates across the country. Data from the 2023 general elections reveal that Lagos State has the highest number of registered voters with 7.06 million. However, over 845,000 PVCs remained uncollected, also the highest number of unclaimed cards in any state. Kano State follows nationally with 5.9 million registered voters, out of which 5.5 million collected their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs). This left 327,177 uncollected PVCs. Other states with significant figures are; Kaduna with 4.3 million registered voters and Katsina with 3.5 million voters, both recording relatively low uncollected cards compared to Lagos and Kano.
Impressive turnout in Borno
In Borno State, the voter registration turnout has been impressive as many residents participated in various centres across the 27 local government areas of the state.
For Abadam, Guzamala, Kala Balge and Marte local government areas, the centres were relocated to Maiduguri town due to insecurity, according to the Resident Electoral Commissioner, Abubakar Ahmad.
Our correspondent, who went around the registration centres of Abadam at Baga Road, said the exercise went on smoothly.
“For the four days that we operated, we had some network challenges but there was no day we didn’t capture all those who came to register,” one of the INEC officials said.
Our correspondent counted 46 people on the queue, waiting to be registered at the centre.
Abba Liberty, the spokesman of the commission said the number is impressive and that sensitisation campaign is on to encourage more people to come out and register.
“You know, it’s typical of our people to wait for last minute registration, but if you look at the national data of the registration, you will know that Borno is among the top states” he said.
Farming season affects exercise in parts of Taraba
Farming activities caused low turnout in some communities of Taraba State, Weekend Trust gathered.
Findings revealed that in some local government areas, the turnout was discouraging as only between two to three persons were registered on a day.
Findings further revealed that Karim Lamido local government area has the highest number of completed registration with 561 persons fully captured while Jalingo, the state capital has 147 persons who completed their registration.
Data also showed that 1,916 persons completed their registration in the entire state as at last Wednesday.
A visit to INEC headquarters in Jalingo, by our correspondent showed some people, including women and youths being registered physically.
The Head of Department, Voters Education and Publicity for INEC in Taraba State, Mrs Ngunan Bunde, said the turnout was discouraging.
She said farming season was one of the factors responsible for the low turnout.
She said the registration was conducted in all the 16 local government areas of the state and that more people were recorded online.
Mrs Bunde said the only hitch INEC experienced was poor network and that it has been addressed.
Low turnout, allegations of manipulation trail exercise in Lagos, Edo, others
In Lagos, the exercise generated debated among political parties. The exercise which held across the 20 local governments (LGs) and 37 Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) created opportunity for politicians, especially in the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to galvanise support for the party.
Weekend Trust gathered that most APC chieftains in the state provided logistics and mobilised voters to participate in the exercise.
However, checks by our correspondents showed that the exercise was marred by low turnout and allegations of manipulation.
Recently, the African Democratic Party (ADC) alleged manipulation of figures in the ongoing exercise; which INEC dismissed.
Responding to the claims, Mr. Taiwo Gbadegesin, Head of Voter Education and Publicity at INEC Lagos, dismissed the allegations as imaginary and without merit.
“The registration statistics in Lagos are in line with historical CVR trends and accurately reflect the state’s demographics — particularly its large, youthful, and tech-savvy population,” Gbadegesin said.
He noted that during the previous CVR exercise (2021–2022), Lagos recorded the highest number of registrations nationwide.
Currently, Lagos’ total registered voters increased from 6,570,291 to 7,060,195.
Gbadegesin clarified that the present numbers do not solely represent new registrations. They also include applications for voter card replacements, transfers, and personal information updates.
“Therefore, it is misleading to interpret the total figures as purely new registrations,” he added.
He attributed the turnout to what he called INEC’s efficient deployment of resources and the Lagos office’s ongoing public sensitisation efforts.
Youths, elderly trooping out in Ekiti
In Ekiti, the INEC CVR exercise is holding in all the local government councils in the state.
A visit to the Ado-Ekiti local government registration centre, along Bank road in Ado-Ekiti, points to the fact that the youths and the elderly are ready to be registered.
At 11:45 a.m on Thursday, about 160 eligible voters who wanted to get registered were out for the exercise while at the INEC office along new Iyin road, a lot of people were also present for the exercise in various categories.
Those who came out include people seeking new registration and transfer.
A data from the Public Relations department, INEC, Ekiti, revealed that Online Pre-Registration statistics for Ekiti between Monday 25 – 31 August, 2025 had 60, 556, representing 2.39% for pre-registration.
For completed physical (In-person) registration, completed registration is 1,130, representing 1.56%.
Low turnout in Bayelsa
The exercise has recorded low turnout in the Yenagoa local government office of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), as only few persons were seen appearing for the exercise.
As of the time Weekend Trust visited the office located at Onopa axis of Yenagoa, the state capital, only a few prospective voters were seen in the hall where the exercise is taking place just as INEC officials deployed for the exercise were seen sitting around table without any registrant.
An official of INEC in the office told our correspondent that apart from the earlier hitches recorded when the in-person registration started on August 25, the exercise has been going on very smoothly.
He said the machines are working well, and they are able to attend to as many people that come out.
He said: “As you can see, we have up to three machines here, ready for in-person registration and people have been coming; although, they are few people today; maybe it’s because of the early morning rain.
“The exercise is not ending today, it’s a continuous exercise. People have ample opportunity to get registered. Also, it is an opportunity for people to transfer their voter’s cards to any unit or state they may wish to vote, reclaim lost cards or defaced ones. Though those ones are done online, we are here to guide and advise them on how to go about it.
“As you know, most people are not ICT compliant, so our staff also help them in the online process,” he said.
A resident of Yenagoa, Mrs Kemsy Brown, who was spotted at INEC office preparing for the in-person registration, told Weekend Trust that the exercise has been smooth, as people are attended to in an orderly manner.
Suspicion in Delta
Leaders of Itsekiri Ethnic Nationality in Delta State have alleged that some INEC officials were trying to rob them of what belongs to them in the proposed delineation of wards and polling units in Warri Federal Constituency.
The revelation came at a press conference beamed live on national televisions where a slide display using Google map to expose alleged INEC bias in allocating wards and polling units outside Delta State and as far as Edo and Ondo states to favour the Ijaw and Urhobo communities in the delineation by bloated wards and units.
In the presentation, a Geo-data expert, Mr Bright Omaghomi and Mrs Tsaye Edeyibo mene relying coordinate pointed out that the document containing lists of wards and unit as provided by INEC does not support reality on ground.
A communique at the end of the press conference held in Warri South Local Government Area on Monday, and presented by Chief Brown Mene, on behalf of Itsekiri Ethnic Nationality, noted that the people were not against the Supreme Court judgement but they demand fairness, equity, and justice from INEC in this regard.
In the communique, Itsekiri Ethnic Nationality called on the Federal Government to set up an independent commission of inquiry to prove the action of INEC on the re-delineation exercise that it created fathom polling units and wards in the federal constituency.
The press conference was attended by many Illustrious sons and daughters of the Iwere land including former Delta State Commissioner for Transport, Hon. Vincent Uduaghan, among others.
APC, PDP leaders mobilising supporters to register
Chieftains of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Bayelsa State and the All Progressives Congress (APC) have been sensitising their supporters to register.
An APC chieftain in Southern Ijaw LGA and the founder, Pastor Reuben Initiative for Good Leadership and Accountability, Pastor Reuben Wilson, last weekend visited his hometown in Koluama 1, in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of the state to mobilise his people to register. Also, a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO), known as Women Organized for Mentorship and Advocacy Network (WOMAN), stormed the Agudama Market and other markets in the state capital for a sensitisation campaign on voter registration, urging residents to exercise their civic rights.
The team of NGO members moved through various stalls, engaging traders, customers, and passersby on the importance of registering ahead of the next elections.
They educated traders on registration procedures, locations of registration centres, and the need to collect Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs).
INEC’s Head of Department, Voters Education and Publicity in Bayelsa State, Mr Awajionyi Utong, said since the inception of the exercise, there have not been any hitches in any of the local government areas in the state.
Low turnout in Edo
In Edo State, there is low turnout of people for the ongoing registration exercise.
Our reporter who visited Oredo and Egor local government areas observed low turnout of prospective registrants.
Some of the people who spoke to Weekend Trust said the exercise was hitch-free as fewer persons were on the queue waiting to be registered.
An electorate, who identified herself as Mrs Osarumwemse Faith, 60, described the exercise as seamless.
“I came here for voters’ registration and it wasn’t stressful, because there was no crowd. I didn’t spend more than 10 minutes before completing the registration exercise and getting my temporary card,” she said.
Also speaking, Mrs Loveth Ogbeide expressed satisfaction on the conduct of the exercise by the INEC officials at the registration centre.
Meanwhile, the state INEC voters’ education officer, said people were responding to the exercise, as the commission had done enough sensitisation on the ongoing CVR exercise.
“People are responding but Nigerians being who they are; will always go for the last minute rush. There are no problems, it is going on smoothly and once you are captured, you get your card immediately,” she said.
In Bauchi, clerics, group mobilise
Stakeholders, especially religious leaders, civil society organisations and political parties have intensified sensitisation campaigns to get prospective voters to take part in the exercise.
Findings indicate that the continuous voter registration is going hitch free across the 20 LGAs in Bauchi State with the exception of network challenge witnessed on the first day, things are moving smoothly.
Investigation revealed that clerics have engaged in an awareness campaign during sermons to mobilise their followers to register in the ongoing voter registration in the state.
Meanwhile, groups have also joined the campaign for citizens to participate in the exercise in the state. The Bauchi State chapter of the Obidient Movement encouraged its members and all citizens across the state to take part.
The group reiterated its unwavering commitment to ensuring that every eligible and willing citizen in the state is mobilised and supported to be part of this exercise.
Coordinator of the Obedient Movement, Mustapha Tukur Ibrahim, said, “The registration exercise goes beyond the ordinary, it represents the gateway to building the Nigeria we collectively aspire to.”
The group, in a statement made available to journalists said, “A Permanent Voter’s Card (PVC) is not just a card, it is the instrument through which citizens plant the seeds of leadership and accountability.”
According to him, “Without it, the hope of reaping a harvest of fairness, progress, and purposeful governance remains an illusion. Those who take the step to register at designated venues physically are not merely preparing for elections; they are choosing to be active participants in scripting a new future for Nigeria. The road to a New Nigeria does not begin on election say, it begins here with the simple but powerful act of registration.”
When contacted, the Head of Department, Voter Education and Publicity of INEC in Bauchi, Aliyu Hassan Shaaba, said there was appreciable number of people turning up for the exercise across the state, adding, “I can’t give you the exact figures of the registration at the moment because the registration is online and still ongoing and the exercise is going without any challenges across the 20 LGAs in the state and the turnout of people is increasing”.
Controversy
Two opposition political parties, the African Democratic Congress and the Labour Party have challenged the report by INEC that the South-West accounted for the highest percentage of the pre-registration numbers in its ongoing Continuous Voter Registration exercise.
The ADC, in a statement issued on Thursday by its Acting National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, questioned the registration process in the South West, stressing that the figures from Osun State in particular contradict both historical trends and demographic realities.
According to INEC’s figures, Osun State recorded almost 400,000 new registered voters.
“Even at its highest point of political mobilisation in 2022, Osun has never produced more than 823,124 votes cast in the governorship election. Now, by some miracle, nearly 20 per cent of all eligible adults in the state have rushed to register. This is not just unusual, it is statistically implausible.
“The anomalies become even more glaring when viewed in the context of the overall registration report. Across the six geopolitical zones, the South West alone accounts for 848,359 pre-registrations, an astonishing 67 per cent of the national total. By contrast, the entire South East recorded just 1,998 pre-registrations.
“To further illustrate, three states Osun, Lagos, and Ogun make up 54.2 per cent of all pre-registrations in Nigeria, while five states combined Ebonyi, Imo, Enugu, Abia, and Adamawa barely recorded 4,153, or 0.2 per cent, while the entire North East recorded just 6.1 per cent,” the ADC statement read in part.
But a statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, Rotimi Oyekanmi, insisted that the figures are correct.
“Within the first week, 1,379,342 Nigerians had pre-registered online. Osun State recorded the highest number of registrants at 393,269, followed by Lagos State with 222,205, and the Federal Capital Territory with 107,682.
“The commission will continue to make information available to the public on the progress of the current online and in-person CVR,” it stated.
Others equally raised an alarm over what they perceive as bias in the exercise.
In Week Two of the INEC Online Pre-Registration, INEC had over 2.5 million Nigerians registered for PVC from August 18 to 31, 2025, indicating that the total number of registered voters in Nigeria may have risen from 84 million to 96.2 million.
From Hamisu Kabir Matazu, Maiduguri; Magaji lsa Hunkuyi, Jalingo; Hassan Ibrahim, Bauchi ; Abdullateef Aliyu, Lagos; Bassey Willie, Yenagoa; Usman A. Bello, Benin and Raphael Ogbonnaiye, Ado-Ekiti, Hope Abah, Makurdi, Mumuni Abdulkareem, Ilorin; Abubakar Akote, Minna; Ali Rabilu, Dutse & Labaran Tijani, Lokoja.