The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced that more than 2.6 million Nigerians have so far registered in the ongoing nationwide Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise.
This was disclosed in a statement issued on Tuesday by the National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Sam Olumekun, after the Commission’s weekly meeting.
According to the Olumekun, the online pre-registration portal, which reopened on Monday, August 18, 2025, recorded a total of 2,532,062 applications within just two weeks. INEC described this as a strong indication of Nigerians’ growing commitment to civic participation.
A gender analysis of the data showed that, as of Sunday, August 31, 2025, 1,218,482 registrants (48.12%) were male, while 1,313,580 (51.88%) were female.
On age and occupational distribution, 1,602,484 applicants, representing 63.29%, were youths between 18 and 34 years. Students made up 647,528 of the total figure, accounting for 25.57%.
Olumekun highlighted that the online registration option, first introduced in 2021, offers Nigerians the flexibility to begin their registration from anywhere, at any time, including weekends.
“However, all online applicants are required to complete the process by visiting any of our 811 State or Local Government area offices across the country for the physical capture of their fingerprints and facial features. This has been clearly stated on the portal. We appeal to registrants to finalize their registration in person at the designated centres, as online applications alone are not sufficient for validity,” the statement emphasized.
For those unable to register online or who prefer physical registration, INEC confirmed that it has deployed officials to the 811 registration centres nationwide. These centres are open Mondays through Fridays, from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
The physical registration commenced on Monday, August 25, 2025. Between then and Friday, August 29, a total of 72,274 people had either completed their online applications or newly registered. Of this number, 35,622 (49.29%) were men, while 36,652 (50.71%) were women. Youths aged 18 to 34 years accounted for 54,718 (75.71%), while students numbered 30,953 (42.83%).
The Commission further disclosed that detailed statistics by State, gender, age, occupation, and disability are available on its website and social media handles for public access.
INEC commended the encouraging response so far and lauded civil society organisations and advocacy groups for their role in mobilising citizens to take part in the CVR exercise.
