Women accounted for the majority of new voter registrations in Nigeria, making up 55.86 per cent of over 3.4 million registrants captured in the ongoing second phase of the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
According to the commission’s week 13 update released on Wednesday in Abuja, a total of 3,441,121 registrations had been completed as of April 3, covering both online pre-registrations and physical walk-ins.
Of this figure, 1,922,143 were female registrants, compared to 1,518,978 males, highlighting stronger participation among women in the current registration cycle.
INEC disclosed that 2,068,384 citizens completed their registration online, while 1,372,737 others registered physically at designated centres across the country.
Youth participation also remained dominant, with citizens aged between 18 and 34 accounting for 2,354,768 registrants, representing 68.43 per cent of the total.
A breakdown of registrations by state showed that Jigawa recorded the highest number of new voters at 201,047, representing 5.84 per cent of the total. Lagos followed with 181,095, while Kano ranked third with 177,681 registrations.
On occupational distribution, students formed the largest group of new voters at 1,235,931 (35.92 per cent), followed by those in business at 701,912 (20.40 per cent), and individuals engaged in farming and fishing at 615,967 (18.28 per cent).
INEC also reported that 48,330 Persons with Disabilities registered during the period.
The commission noted that the figures remain provisional, pending data clean-up and verification processes, including the deployment of the Automated Biometric Identification System.
It added that voter registration remains suspended in the Federal Capital Territory in line with Section 9(6) of the Electoral Act 2022, following the Area Council Election held on February 21.
INEC urged eligible Nigerians who have yet to register to complete the process via its official platforms before the deadline.
