INEC announces 3.4 million new registered voters

Thursday, April 9, 2026 - The Independent National Electoral Commission has recorded over 3.4 million new voters in the ongoing second phase of the Continuous Voter Registration exercise nationwide.

According to the commission’s week 13 update released on Wednesday in Abuja, a total of 3,441,121 registrations have been completed as of April 3, covering both online pre-registrations and physical walk-ins.

INEC disclosed that 2,068,384 citizens completed their registration online, while 1,372,737 others registered physically at designated centres across the country.

State-by-state data showed that Jigawa recorded the highest number of registrants with 201,047, representing 5.84 per cent of the total.

Lagos followed with 181,095, while Kano ranked third with 177,681 registrations.

Youth participation remained dominant, with citizens aged between 18 and 34 accounting for 2,354,768 registrants, representing 68.43 per cent of the total figure.

Gender distribution indicated a higher turnout among women, with females accounting for 1,922,143 registrations (55.86 per cent), compared to 1,518,978 males (44.14 per cent).

On occupational breakdown, students formed the largest group of new voters at 1,235,931, representing 35.92 per cent.

This was followed by those in business at 701,912 (20.40 per cent) and individuals in farming and fishing at 615,967 (18.28 per cent).

INEC also reported that 48,330 Persons with Disabilities registered during the period.

The commission noted that the figure remains provisional, explaining that it is “a preliminary figure pending data clean-up during the period for citizens’ claims and objections, followed by the deployment of the Automated Biometric Identification System.”

It further stated that voter registration remains suspended in the Federal Capital Territory in line with Section 9(6) of the Electoral Act 2022, following the Area Council Election held on February 21.

INEC urged eligible Nigerians who have yet to register to visit its official portals to complete their registration before the deadline.