…Records 288,000 physical registrations in two weeks
…Warns against underage registration, says it remains illegal

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced that 3,544,850 Nigerians have pre-registered online within the first three weeks of its ongoing nationwide Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise.

In its latest weekly update, the Commission disclosed that 288,614 citizens have also completed their physical registration within two weeks of the in-person option opening.

The figures were contained in a statement signed by the National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Mr Sam Olumekun, on Monday, 8 September 2025.

According to the breakdown, the online pre-registration, which commenced on 18 August 2025, recorded 1,709,933 males (48.24%) and 1,834,917 females (51.76%). By age and occupation, 2,291,809 registrants (64.65%) are between 18 and 34 years old, while 882,441 (24.89%) are students.

On the physical registration that began on 25 August 2025, a total of 288,614 individuals had been captured as of 4 September 2025. Of this number, 132,634 (45.96%) were male and 155,980 (54.04%) female. In terms of age and occupation, 215,414 (74.64%) fall within the 18–34 bracket, while 114,150 (39.55%) are students.

INEC confirmed that the full distribution of both online and completed registrations by state, gender, age, occupation and disability has been uploaded to its website and official platforms for public access.

The Commission commended the turnout, acknowledging individuals and civic groups for mobilising participation across the country. It described the growing response as evidence of citizens’ willingness to take part in the 2027 general elections.

INEC also restated that the CVR exercise is strictly for Nigerians aged 18 and above.

“It is unlawful for anyone to encourage underage registration or for those below 18 years of age to register in anticipation of attaining the legal voting age by the 2027 general election,” the statement cautioned.

The Commission further pledged to continue issuing weekly updates to reinforce transparency and public trust in the registration process.