The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has registered 2,970,257 eligible Nigerians in Phase III, Week Nine of the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise, even as opposition political parties and civil society organisations renewed calls for an extension of the exercise to prevent eligible voters from being disenfranchised.
The figures, which cover completed online and physical registrations as of July 17, 2026, were contained in data released by the electoral commission and obtained by NewDailyPrime.
INEC noted that the figures remain preliminary and will undergo a data-cleaning process during the claims and objections period before the final voters’ register is compiled.
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The commission also announced that the exercise had been suspended in Osun State ahead of the forthcoming governorship election in line with Section 9(6) of the Electoral Act 2022.
According to the commission, 970,865 registrants, representing 33.79 per cent of the total, completed their registration online, while 2,000,092 people, or 66.21 per cent, registered physically at designated centres nationwide.
Female voters accounted for the majority of new registrations, with 1,561,765 registrants, representing 52.57 per cent, while 1,409,192 males made up 47.43 per cent.
Young Nigerians dominated the exercise, as 2,003,183 registrants, representing 67.43 per cent of the total, were between the ages of 18 and 34.
The commission also recorded 645,651 registrations among Nigerians aged 35 to 49, 294,443 registrants aged between 50 and 69, and 27,680 persons aged 70 years and above.
By occupation, students recorded the highest number of registrations with 695,026, representing 23.39 per cent of the total, followed by business owners with 626,523 registrations, or 21.09 per cent.
Farmers and fishermen accounted for 505,402 registrations, while 480,682 housewives also completed the registration process.
Other categories included artisans with 152,184 registrations, traders with 133,834, civil servants with 74,507 and public servants with 47,778.
INEC also recorded the registration of 32,361 persons living with disabilities.
Kano tops registrations
State-by-state data released by the commission showed that Kano recorded the highest number of new registrations with 234,305.
Lagos followed with 140,546 registrations, while Edo recorded 139,313.
Other states with high registration figures included Delta (132,330), Taraba (113,409), Ebonyi (111,344), Sokoto (109,076), Ogun (96,571), Bauchi (96,061), Jigawa (95,592) and Kaduna (92,505).
Benue recorded 88,840 registrations, Oyo 88,716, Imo 88,155, Anambra 87,195, Nasarawa 86,914, Cross River 86,559 and Bayelsa 80,425.
Niger recorded 76,841 registrations, Kwara 76,084, Katsina 74,896, Gombe 74,152, Yobe 71,382, Kebbi 70,859, Kogi 69,713, Adamawa 65,505, Borno 44,866, the Federal Capital Territory 41,700 and Plateau 31,352.
The report also indicated that the North-West recorded the highest number of registrations among Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones.
Opposition parties seek extension
The African Democratic Congress (ADC), Labour Party (LP) and a faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), alongside several civil society organisations, urged INEC to extend the voter registration exercise to allow more eligible Nigerians to register ahead of the 2027 general elections.
ADC National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, argued that voter registration should not be restricted to fixed timelines, saying Nigerians should be able to register whenever they decide to participate in the electoral process.
“We have also mobilised people across the country to INEC to register, but you know it is not easy for people to abandon their daily work to go and queue for hours at INEC offices for registration. What we have done is mobilise our people at the grassroots level,” he said.
Similarly, the National Publicity Secretary of the Taminu Turaki-led faction of the PDP, Ini Ememobong, said many Nigerians were reluctant to register because of declining confidence in the electoral process.
“Nigerians are discouraged, and this is putting them off registering. Unless INEC clearly demonstrates that it is impartial and capable of conducting credible elections, it will continue to have a negative impact on participation,” he said.
Labour Party National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh, also criticised the planned closure, arguing that a process described as “continuous” should remain open to accommodate all eligible Nigerians, including those who would attain voting age before the elections.
“The name of the exercise is Continuous Voter Registration, and we should start with the name and allow people who have an interest in participating in the election to register.
“I don’t see how people registering even up to December can obstruct what INEC is doing, so long as those people are not going to contest elections,” he said.
CSOs back longer registration period
Civil society organisations also called for an extension of the registration exercise.
President of Women Arise for Change Initiative, Dr Joe Okei-Odumakin, said the commission should consider extending the registration period since about six months remained before the general elections.
“Given that there are six clear months before the general elections, there may be a need to relax the closure of voter registration for some more weeks,” she said.
Chairman of the BallotEyes Working Group, Olasupo Abideen, described the closure as premature, arguing that a genuinely continuous registration exercise should remain open for longer.
Executive Director of the Socio-Economic and Civic Rights Advocacy, Emmanuel Olowu, questioned the legal basis for ending voter registration about six months before the elections when the Electoral Act only requires registration to stop no later than 90 days before polling.
APC, Yiaga Africa support INEC
However, the All Progressives Congress defended the commission’s decision.
APC National Vice Chairman (South-East), Dr Ijeomah Arodiogbu, said INEC required a registration deadline to adequately plan for the elections, including determining voter figures and distributing election materials.
He added that the ruling party would not oppose any extension provided it did not disrupt the commission’s timetable.
Executive Director of Yiaga Africa, Samson Itodo, also backed INEC, saying the commission acted within the provisions of the Electoral Act and its published election timetable.
According to him, while the closure may disappoint some prospective voters, the commission requires adequate time to clean the voters’ register, resolve claims and objections, remove duplicate registrations, print voter registers and complete other pre-election preparations.
He, however, urged INEC to make the Continuous Voter Registration exercise genuinely continuous by creating more opportunities for eligible Nigerians to register long before election periods, adding that low turnout was driven by declining public confidence in elections, poor public awareness, logistical challenges and prevailing economic hardship.
