INEC new voters registration reaches 3.87 million ahead of 2027 polls, with women and young Nigerians accounting for the largest share of entries
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced that 3,867,997 Nigerians completed registration during the eleventh week of Phase III of the Continuous Voter Registration exercise ahead of the 2027 general elections.
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Women accounted for the larger share of the latest INEC new voters figures, with 2,037,589 female registrants, representing 52.68 per cent of the total number recorded during the period.
Male participation stood at 1,830,408 registrations, accounting for 47.32 per cent of the newly registered voters.
INEC said 1,170,134 Nigerians completed the process online, while 2,697,863 people registered physically at designated centres across the country.
The commission’s data showed that young Nigerians dominated the exercise, with people between the ages of 18 and 34 years accounting for 2,602,960 registrations, representing 67.29 per cent of the total.
Registrants aged between 35 and 49 years accounted for 843,757, while those between 50 and 69 years recorded 386,095 registrations. Citizens aged 70 years and above contributed 35,185 entries.
Students formed the largest occupational group among new registrants, with 892,946 registrations, followed by businesspersons with 810,452.
Other categories recorded by INEC included farmers and fishers with 649,358 registrations, housewives with 640,569, artisans with 204,660, traders with 175,206, civil servants with 97,328, and public servants with 65,114.
The electoral body also recorded participation among persons with disabilities, with 41,092 registrations received during the exercise.
Among this group, 20,601 persons were classified under the “Others” category, while 7,038 persons with albinism completed registration. The figures also included citizens who are blind, deaf, autistic, physically challenged, of little stature, living with Down syndrome, spinal cord injuries and cognitive learning disabilities.
A state-by-state analysis showed that Kano State recorded the highest number of completed registrations with 330,906, followed by Lagos with 181,254, Delta with 166,895, Edo with 156,150, Ebonyi with 146,507 and Sokoto with 145,160.
Ekiti State recorded the lowest figure with 2,276 registrations, while Ondo State recorded 23,824.
INEC explained that registration activities were suspended in Osun State because of the forthcoming governorship election, citing provisions of Section 9(6) of the Electoral Act 2022.
The commission stressed that the latest figures remain provisional and will undergo further verification, including data clean-up, claims and objections by citizens, and checks through the Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS) before the final voter register is released.
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The growing participation of women and young Nigerians in the registration process highlights the expanding role of demographic groups that have historically shaped voter turnout patterns in Nigeria’s electoral cycle.
