The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says 3,544,850 Nigerians have registered online for the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) in the first three weeks of the exercise.
INEC National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Sam Olumekun, disclosed this in a statement on Monday, noting that the Commission will henceforth present combined figures for both online pre-registration and in-person registration.
As of September 7, 2025, he said, 1,709,933 registrants (48.24%) were male while 1,834,917 (51.76%) were female. A majority, 2,291,809 (64.65%), fall within the 18–34 age bracket, with students making up 24.89%. For physical registration, which began on August 25, 2025, 288,614 people have registered, comprising 132,634 males (45.96%) and 155,980 females (54.04%). Of these, 74.64% are aged 18–34 and 39.55% are students.
Olumekun said the distribution of registrations by state, gender, age, occupation, and disability has been uploaded to INEC’s website. He warned that voter registration is strictly for citizens 18 years and above, cautioning against underage or multiple registrations, which remain electoral offences.
In Bayelsa State, INEC has fixed September 11, 2025, for the official flag-off of a voter education road show. Head of the Voter Education, Publicity and Gender Department (VEPGD), Mr. Christian Utong, made this known during a meeting with accredited Voter Education Service Providers (VESP) in Yenagoa.
He explained that the road show will engage residents through drama, music, and interactive outreach to dispel misinformation, encourage voter status checks, and mobilize eligible citizens to obtain their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs). Utong stressed that the CVR targets new registrants, those who have turned 18, and citizens with lost, defaced, or damaged PVCs.
He also warned against multiple registration, noting that the Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS) would detect irregularities.
Civil society groups, including the Women Organized for Mentorship and Advocacy Network (WOMAN), pledged support for the sensitization campaign, which aims to boost participation among women, youths, persons with disabilities, and hard-to-reach communities.
INEC Bayelsa assured that its officials would be available during the road show to assist with registration issues and voter verification. The Commission urged residents to participate fully, reminding them that the PVC remains the only valid document for voting.
