By Nkechi Eze
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced that more than 2.6 million Nigerians have registered online and in-person in the ongoing nationwide Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, 2 September 2025, after its regular weekly meeting, the Commission disclosed that the online pre-registration, which began on Monday, 18 August 2025, had in just two weeks recorded a total of 2,532,062 entries. The National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Sam Olumekun, said the figures reflected an encouraging level of civic engagement by citizens across the country.
According to the breakdown, as of Sunday, 31 August 2025, a total of 1,218,482 registrants, representing 48.12 per cent, are male, while 1,313,580, representing 51.88 per cent, are female. Age and occupation statistics revealed that a majority, 1,602,484 or 63.29 per cent, fall within the youth bracket of 18 to 34 years, while 647,528 or 25.57 per cent are students.
Olumekun explained that the pre-registration initiative, introduced by the Commission in 2021, has given Nigerians the flexibility to commence the process from anywhere in the world at any time of the day, including weekends. “However, all online pre-registrants are required to appear physically to complete the process in our 811 State and Local Government offices nationwide where their fingerprints and facial biometric details will be captured. This instruction is clearly stated on the online portal. We urge all online pre-registrants to complete the process in-person at the INEC designated registration centres without which the online process alone is invalid,” he stated.
On in-person registration, the Commission confirmed that it has made provisions for Nigerians who lack access to online facilities or prefer physical registration. Staff have been deployed to its 811 offices across the States and Local Government Areas, with the centres operating between 9:00 am and 3:00 pm, Monday to Friday.
The in-person registration commenced on Monday, 25 August 2025, and within the first five days, as of Friday, 29 August, a total of 72,274 citizens were recorded to have either completed their pre-registration process or newly registered. Out of this number, 35,622 or 49.29 per cent are male, while 36,652 or 50.71 per cent are female. The data also revealed that 54,718 or 75.71 per cent are aged between 18 and 34, while 30,953 or 42.83 per cent are students.
INEC further disclosed that detailed graphic statistics of the distribution of registrants by State, gender, age, occupation, and disability have been published on its website and other official platforms for public access.
The Commission expressed satisfaction with the positive response of Nigerians to the CVR exercise and commended organisations that have mobilised citizens to participate.
