INEC Records 1.2 Million New Voters

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says more than 1.2 million Nigerians have completed registration in the second phase of the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise as of February 13, 2026.

In an update shared on its X(formerly Twitter) handle on Thursday, the commission disclosed that 1,228,648 eligible citizens had successfully registered by the end of Phase II, Week Six, a significant increase from the 884,737 recorded a week earlier.

INEC’s figures show that 673,124 applicants initiated the process through online pre-registration, while 555,524 completed their registration physically at designated centres nationwide.

A state-by-state breakdown indicates that Jigawa recorded the highest number of new registrants at 98,698, accounting for 8.03 per cent of the total. 

Lagos followed with 86,307 registrants, while Sokoto and Kano posted 77,004 and 71,990 registrations respectively.

On gender distribution, the commission said women accounted for the majority of new voters, with 696,891 registrations, representing 57 per cent,  compared to 531,757 male registrants.

INEC further noted that young people between the ages of 18 and 34 made up the bulk of registrants at 848,066, representing 69.02 per cent of the total. It added that 19,414 persons with disabilities had registered across the country.

The commission explained that the exercise is ongoing nationwide except in the Federal Capital Territory, where it has been temporarily suspended in line with the Electoral Act ahead of the February 21, 2026 Area Council elections.

Phase II of the CVR began on January 5, 2026, and is expected to continue until April. 

It follows Phase I, conducted between August and December 2025, during which about 2.78 million voters were added to the national register.