INEC records over 3.4m registrations in second phase of CVR

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has recorded 3,441,121 completed registrations in the second phase of its Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise, with young Nigerians between the ages of 18 and 34 driving the bulk of the new sign-ups as the country intensifies preparations for the 2027 general elections.

According to the week 13 update released by the commission on Wednesday in Abuja, the 3,441,121 figure comprises both online pre-registrations and physical walk-ins at various centres nationwide, as of April 3, 2026. The data revealed that 2,068,384 citizens completed their pre-registration online, while 1,372,737 voters opted for physical registration at designated centres.

The participation of youths between ages 18 and 34 accounted for 2,354,768 registrations, representing 68.43 percent of all new registrants, underscoring a strong surge in civic engagement among Nigeria’s younger population ahead of the 2027 polls.

The occupational breakdown of new registrants also reflects a broadly youthful, economically active population. Students represented the largest single block of new voters at 1,235,931 (35.92 percent), followed by those in business at 701,912 (20.40 percent) and farming and fishing at 615,967 (18.28 percent). Additionally, 48,330 of the new registrants were Persons with Disabilities (PWDs).

At the state level, Jigawa led all states with 201,047 registrations, representing 5.84 percent of the national total, followed by Lagos with 181,095, and Kano State in third place with 177,681. The strong performance of northern states alongside Lagos signals broad national participation in the exercise.

The commission noted that registration remained suspended in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in compliance with Section 9(6) of the Electoral Act 2022, following the Area Council elections held on February 21, 2026. Eligible residents of the FCT are expected to be accommodated in a subsequent phase.

The second phase of the CVR, which began on January 5, 2026, is scheduled to conclude on April 17, 2026. The third phase is set to commence on May 4 and will run until August 17, 2026, in preparation for the 2027 general elections.

Despite the figures recorded in the second phase, participation in the current CVR cycle remains significantly lower than the 2021–2022 cycle, which recorded over 12 million registrations nationwide. INEC has consistently urged eligible Nigerians yet to register not to delay. “This is the last opportunity for Nigerians who have not registered. There may not be an extension beyond the scheduled timeline,” an INEC official warned.

INEC clarified that the 3,441,121 figure represents a preliminary count pending data clean-up during the period for claims and objections by citizens, followed by the deployment of the Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS) to detect and weed out duplicate or fraudulent entries.

This comes amid broader efforts by INEC to strengthen the integrity of Nigeria’s voter roll. INEC Chairman Prof. Joash Amupitan recently announced plans for a nationwide voter revalidation exercise to address persistent challenges including duplicate registrations, underage registration, registration by non-citizens, deceased voters, and incomplete or inaccurate records, issues he described as undermining public trust in the electoral process.

Eligible Nigerians who are yet to register are advised to visit INEC’s official portals at cvr.inec.gov.ng or cvr.inecnigeria.org to begin the process before the second phase closes on April 17.