JUST IN: Lagos, Kano, Kaduna Lead as Nigeria’s Voter Register Hits 103.4m — INEC
Lagos, Kano and Kaduna have emerged as the three states with the highest number of registered voters ahead of the 2027 general elections, according to the Independent National Electoral Commission.
The INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, disclosed this on Tuesday in Abuja at a stakeholders’ meeting and press conference where he presented an update on the national register of voters.
Amupitan said the total number of registered voters had risen to 103,428,715 following the completion of the commission’s three-phase Continuous Voter Registration exercise and biometric verification and clean-up.
Lagos leads the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory with 7,488,633 registered voters, followed by Kano with 6,570,276 and Kaduna with 4,662,640.
Katsina ranks fourth with 3,876,051 voters, while Rivers occupies the fifth position with 3,736,434.
Oyo has 3,588,111 registered voters, followed by Delta with 3,525,988, Benue with 3,057,225, Ogun with 3,037,981 and Bauchi with 3,012,547, completing the top 10.
According to the INEC chairman, the three-phase CVR exercise produced 10,772,421 new registrations before the final biometric verification and cleaning of the register.
The commission also announced that nationwide collection of newly issued Permanent Voter Cards would begin on October 9, 2026.
Ekiti records lowest figure
At the other end of the register, Ekiti has the lowest number of registered voters among the states, with 1,055,708.
Bayelsa follows with 1,200,691, while the Federal Capital Territory has 1,732,043 registered voters.
Ondo recorded 1,733,641, while Gombe has 1,768,560 registered voters.
Male voters remain higher
Amupitan said male voters accounted for 53,528,218, representing 51.75 per cent of the register, while female voters stood at 49,900,497, representing 48.25 per cent.
The chairman said voters aged between 35 and 49 years formed the largest age category, with 43,265,946, representing 41.83 per cent.
Those aged between 18 and 34 years accounted for 29,777,576, or 28.79 per cent, while voters aged between 50 and 69 years numbered 22,982,900, representing 22.22 per cent.
Voters aged 70 and above constituted the smallest age group, with 7,402,291, representing 7.16 per cent.
232,658 voters registered as persons with disabilities
The INEC chairman also disclosed that 232,658 persons with disabilities were captured in the register across 10 categories, representing about 0.23 per cent of the total voter population.
The largest category was classified as “others”, accounting for 101,183 registered voters, or 43.49 per cent of persons with disabilities.
Persons with albinism followed with 44,023, representing 18.92 per cent, while those with physical impairment numbered 27,141, representing 11.67 per cent.
The register also includes 19,936 persons with visual impairment, 14,326 with hearing impairment, 8,832 under autism, 7,723 with cognitive or learning disabilities, 5,755 with limb impairment, 2,008 with Down syndrome and 1,656 with spinal cord injuries.
INEC opens register for public scrutiny
Amupitan further announced that the commission would display the register of voters for public scrutiny from October 9 to 15, 2026, in line with Section 19(1) of the Electoral Act 2026.
He said the exercise would enable Nigerians to examine the register and raise claims or objections ahead of the 2027 general elections.
“The register of voters will be displayed for public scrutiny from the 9th to 15th of October 2026, not later than 90 days before the general election,” Amupitan said.
The commission urged eligible Nigerians to use the display period to verify their details and draw attention to any discrepancies requiring correction before the elections.
