By Joy Odor, Abuja
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has revealed that more than 3.8 million Nigerians have registered to vote just three weeks into its ongoing nationwide Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise.
According to INEC National Commissioner and Chairman of Information & Voter Education, Sam Olumekun, who issued a statement in Abuja on Monday, the figure includes both online pre-registrations and in-person registrations.
As of Sunday, September 7, 2025, a total of 3,544,850 citizens had completed online pre-registration, which opened on August 18.
Of this number, 1,709,933 (48.24%) are male while 1,834,917 (51.76%) are female.
Youths dominate the exercise, with 2,291,809 (64.65%) between ages 18–34, while 882,441 (24.89%) are students.
On the in-person front, which commenced August 25, INEC reported that as of September 4, 288,614 Nigerians had completed their registration.
Out of these, 132,634 (45.96%) are male and 155,980 (54.04%) are female.
Again, young Nigerians led the charge, with 215,414 (74.64%) between ages 18–34 and 114,150 (39.55%) identified as students.
Olumekun confirmed that a state-by-state breakdown by gender, age, occupation, and disability has been uploaded to the Commission’s website for public scrutiny.
While commending Nigerians and civic groups for mobilising participation, INEC issued a stern warning: only citizens aged 18 and above are eligible to register.
The Commission condemned attempts to register underage persons “in anticipation of turning 18 before the 2027 general elections,” stressing that such acts remain illegal.
The CVR exercise continues nationwide both online and in designated registration centres.
