BY CHARLES CHIJIOKE
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced that 3,867,997 Nigerians successfully completed the online and physical registration process during the eleventh week of Phase III of the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise, with women emerging as the majority of newly registered voters ahead of the 2027 general elections.
According to figures released by the electoral commission on Wednesday, female registrants accounted for 2,037,589 of the new voters, representing 52.68 percent of the total, while 1,830,408 men registered, making up 47.32 percent. INEC also disclosed that 1,170,134 registrations were completed online, while 2,697,863 were carried out at physical registration centres across the country.
Afrilensnews reports that the latest voter registration figures point to a significant expansion of Nigeria’s electoral register and could reshape political calculations ahead of the 2027 general elections. Political parties are expected to intensify campaigns targeting women and young voters, who now constitute the largest bloc of newly registered voters.
The commission revealed that youths between the ages of 18 and 34 dominated the exercise with 2,602,960 registrations, representing 67.29 percent of the total. Those aged 35 to 49 accounted for 843,757 registrations, while 386,095 registrants were between 50 and 69 years. Citizens aged 70 years and above recorded 35,185 registrations.
On occupational distribution, students emerged as the largest category with 892,946 registrations, followed by businesspersons with 810,452.
Other registrants included farmers and fishers (649,358), housewives (640,569), artisans (204,660), traders (175,206), civil servants (97,328) and public servants (65,114).
INEC further disclosed that 41,092 persons with disabilities registered during the exercise. Of the figure, 20,601 were classified under the “Others” category, while 7,038 persons had albinism. The commission also recorded registrations from persons 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 breakdown showed Kano recorded the highest number of completed registrations with 330,906, followed by Lagos (181,254), Delta (166,895), Edo (156,150), Ebonyi (146,507) and Sokoto (145,160). Ekiti recorded the lowest figure with 2,276 registrations, while Ondo posted 23,824.
INEC noted that no registration took place in Osun State due to the forthcoming governorship election. The commission said the suspension was in line with Section 9(6) of the Electoral Act 2022.
The electoral body stressed that the registration figures remain provisional and will undergo data clean-up, claims and objections by citizens, as well as verification through the Automated Biometric Identification System before the final voter register is produced.
The sharp increase in voter registration is expected to heighten political competition ahead of the 2027 elections. With women now outnumbering men among the new registrants and youths accounting for more than two-thirds of fresh voters, political parties are likely to redesign their campaign strategies, policy messages and grassroots mobilization efforts.
Analysts believe the enlarged voter base could influence electoral outcomes, increase voter participation, and make issues affecting young people, women, education, jobs, security and economic opportunities more decisive during the 2027 campaigns.
