By Reportcircle-Abuja
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has dismissed as misleading the claim by a political party that the number of online pre-registrants recorded in Osun State defies “historical patterns and demographic realities.”
In a statement issued in Abuja on Thursday by Rotimi Oyekanmi, the Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, said there is “nothing extraordinary” about the current figures, stressing that Osun State has consistently led in online voter pre-registration since the Commission introduced the process in 2021.
INEC rolled out the current online pre-registration exercise on 18 August 2025, followed by in-person registration on 25 August 2025. Data released for the first week (18–24 August) showed that 1,379,342 Nigerians pre-registered, with Osun State leading at 393,269, followed by Lagos (222,205) and the Federal Capital Territory (107,682).
The Commission pointed out that this trend mirrors what happened in 2021 when Osun State also dominated the online registration exercise.
For instance, within the first 24 hours of launching the portal in June 2021, 59,331 accounts were created, rising to 456,909 by the second week, with Osun contributing the highest figures. By April 2022, Osun still led nationally with 708,782 registrations.
“If the party were proactive enough, a simple check of past records, already in the public domain, would have revealed these facts,” Oyekanmi said.
He stressed that INEC’s processes are transparent and thorough, noting that all online pre-registrants must still appear physically at designated centers for biometric capture.
The Commission also applies its Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS) to detect and eliminate double registrations.
INEC recalled that after the last Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise, over 9.4 million new voters were added to the National Register, bringing the total to 93,469,008 for the 2023 General Election.
“Our duty as a Commission is not to speculate on why some states record higher numbers than others, but to ensure that only eligible citizens, as provided by the Constitution and Electoral Act, are duly registered,” the statement emphasized.
The Commission urged political actors and stakeholders to avoid making unfounded claims, insisting that verified data is publicly available for scrutiny.
“We appeal to well-meaning Nigerians to be circumspect and to rely on authentic, verifiable information from INEC rather than conjecture,” Oyekanmi concluded.
