•An INEC officer with the BVAS
The Independent National Electoral Commission has announced that more than 4.4 million Nigerians have pre-registered online as part of the ongoing nationwide voter registration exercise that began on August 18, 2025.
According to a statement issued today by the National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee Sam Olumekun, a total of 4,445,505 online pre-registrations were recorded as of yesterday, Sunday, September 14, 2025.
“As of Sunday 14th September 2025, a total of 4,445,505 Nigerians have now pre-registered online in four weeks since the commencement of the exercise on 18th August 2025.
“The figure at the end of Week Four shows that 2,141,294 (48.17 per cent) are male and 2,304,211 (51.83 per cent) are female. In terms of age and occupation, the majority 2,924,643 (65.79 per cent) are between the ages of 18 and 34 while 1,112,344 (25.02 per cent) are students,” Olumekun disclosed.
Osun State led the nationwide exercise with 552,045 entries. Lagos followed closely with 488,523 pre-registrations. In the North-East, Borno recorded 439,426 pre-registrations.
Ogun State was not far behind, contributing 396,799 registrations, while Kebbi added a notable 287,059. Kaduna and Kogi recorded 240,357 and 218,397 pre-registrations respectively, followed by the Federal Capital Territory, which logged 213,732 entries. Yobe also showed a high turnout with 212,840 individuals completing the process, while Oyo added 181,518 to the national tally.
In the North-West, Kano State contributed 113,547 registrations. Jigawa and Kwara registered 93,292 and 93,106 respectively. Delta and Ekiti also reported strong participation, with 81,353 and 85,209 entries. Sokoto came in with 75,761, just ahead of Niger’s 72,947. Bauchi and Imo followed with 63,535 and 62,237 respectively, while Katsina posted 61,143.
Zamfara and Nasarawa accounted for 57,902 and 56,464 respectively. Plateau recorded 49,251 registrations, and Cross River added 46,488. In the North-East, Gombe reported 31,086 pre-registrations. Middle-belt states such as Benue and Taraba contributed 26,815 and 24,005 respectively.
Meanwhile, Bayelsa and Rivers states recorded lower figures, with 20,905 and 19,979 respectively. Adamawa posted 12,474, while Ondo registered 10,781. Edo came in with 8,615 pre-registrations.
At the very bottom of the chart were Ebonyi, Abia, and Enugu. Ebonyi recorded 4,024, Abia followed with 3,532, and Enugu had the lowest figure nationwide, with just 1,839 pre-registrations.
While the South-West region continues to dominate registration activity — with Osun, Lagos, and Ogun maintaining consistent leads since the first week —the North has shown mixed results. Borno has emerged as a strong performer with over 439,000 registrations, but other populous states like Kano have seen comparatively lower engagement, with 113,547 recorded so far. Kaduna has fared moderately better with 240,357.
The disparity in figures between the southern and northern regions has prompted growing concern among stakeholders in the North.
In response, community leaders, religious figures, and civil society organisations have begun launching mobilisation campaigns to increase participation, particularly in rural areas.
These efforts include public sensitisation and collaboration with local officials to reach eligible but unregistered voters.
Meanwhile, INEC in the statement confirmed that the number of completed registrations—covering both online pre-registration and in-person physical registration—currently stands at 509,929. Of this figure, 229,758 are male and 280,171 are female. Youths again make up the majority, with 378,132 aged between 18 and 34, and students accounting for 196,529 of the total.
INEC also provided an update on the number of completed registrations, which includes both online and physical (in-person) processes.
As of Friday, September 12, 2025, the total number of completed registrations stood at 509,929.
“As of Friday, 12th September 2025, the combined figures of the completed online pre-registration and the physical (in-person) registration are 509,929 out of which 229,758 (45.06 per cent) are male and 280,171 (54.94 per cent) are female.
“In terms of age and occupation, 378,132 (74.15 per cent) are young people between the ages of 18 and 34 while 196,529 (38.54 per cent) are students,” the statement read.
INEC also announced that online pre-registration for voters in the Federal Capital Territory ends today, Monday, September 15. For the next two weeks, registration will continue through in-person appointments at designated centres.
“As earlier announced by the commission, the online voter pre-registration in the FCT ends today, Monday 15th September 2025. For the next two weeks, the physical (in-person) option will be at the designated venues.
“Thereafter, the Commission will devolve the registration to all the 62 Wards in the FCT from 29th September to 8th October 2025. Detailed addresses of the centres have already been uploaded to our official platforms,” the statement concluded.
