The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Tuesday announced that Lagos, Kano, Kaduna and Oyo state were leading other states in the number of registered voters in the country ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Chairman of the Commission, Prof. Joash Amupitan, who disclosed this at a world press conference and stakeholders meeting in Abuja, said the national voter register now stands at 103 million registered voters following the conclusion of phases one, two and three of the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR).
He said during phase one, 25th August to 10th December 2025, the commission registered 2,611,266 voters; 4,121,835 in Phase II, 5th January to 17th April 2026; and 3,867,997 in Phase III, 11th May to 26th July 2026.
According to him, the total number of persons who registered during the period stands at 10,772,421, adding that following the conclusion of Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS) verification, the number of those found to be legitimate were added to the existing register to bring the figure to 103 million.
He listed the top 10 states to include:
Lagos (7,488,633), Kano (6,570,276), Kaduna (4,662,640), Katsina (3,876,051), Rivers (3,736,434), Oyo (3,588,111), Delta (3,525,988), Benue (3,057,225), Ogun (3,037,981) and Bauchi (3,012,547).*
He also said that Ekiti State has the lowest number of registered voters with 1,055,708, followed by Bayelsa with 1,200,691, FCT with 1,732,043, Yobe with 1,733,671 and Gombe with 1,768,566.
Prof Amupitan disclosed that Male voters account for 53,528,218, representing 51.75% of the registered voters, while female voters account for 49,900,497, representing 48.25%.
On age profile: 35-49 years account for 43,265,946 voters, or 41.83%; 18-34 years, 29,777,578, representing 28.79%; 50-69 years, 22,982,900, or 22.22%; and 70+ years, 7,402,291 voters, representing 7.16%.
He said “the register records 232,658 Persons With Disabilities, spread across 10 disability categories. This represents roughly 0.23% of the total 103.43 million registered voters”.
Other Key INEC Announcements Ahead of 2027 Elections
1. Public Display of Register: Voters’ register will be displayed for public scrutiny from 9th to 15th October 2026 at Registration Areas, in line with Section 19(1) of the Electoral Act 2026.
2. PVC Distribution: Distribution of Phase 1 PVCs to all Local Government Centres begins Friday, 9th October 2026. Printable PVC technology introduced for the first time in Nigeria.
3. Candidate Nominations:
– Presidential: 18 of 22 parties submitted 36 Presidential/Vice-Presidential candidates.
– NASS: 21 parties sponsored 1,313 Senate and 3,547 House of Reps candidates.
– State: 936 Governorship/Deputy and 9,692 State House of Assembly candidates nominated.
4. Technology and Logistics: 57,000 new BVAS devices in production. Upgraded eEC8A system for direct IReV upload. New AI Division created for results auditing. Nationwide mock accreditation planned for November 2026.
5. Personnel: INEC will engage 707,384 ad hoc staff for Presidential/NASS elections on 16th Jan 2027, and the same number for Gov/State Assembly on 6th Feb 2027. Total: 1,414,768 engagements.
6. Security: IGP confirmed clearance operations in Kogi, Niger, Benue, Taraba. Joint financial monitoring with EFCC, ICPC, NFIU to track illicit campaign spending.
7. Inclusivity: Braille Ballot Guides, sign language interpreters at collation centres, town halls for rural women in 774 LGAs, and disability workshops planned.
INEC Chairman said the Commission has moved from planning into execution with 100 days to the 2027 General Election, and reassured the nation of neutrality and integrity.