By Gabriel Ameh
Borno State has overtaken Osun to emerge as the state with the highest number of online pre-registrations in the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration (CVR), according to fresh figures released by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Data covering September 22–28, 2025, revealed that a total of 6,232,673 Nigerians have so far pre-registered online. Of this number, Borno accounted for 682,805 registrations – the highest by any state and representing 10.96% of the national total.
Osun, which previously topped the chart, dropped to second place with 599,363 registrations (9.62%), followed by Lagos with 555,442 (8.91%), Kebbi with 472,662 (7.58%), and Ogun with 450,897 (7.23%).
Youths and Women Dominate Registrations
INEC’s figures confirm that young Nigerians remain the dominant force in the CVR exercise, with 4,230,715 registrants between the ages of 18 and 34. Students make up 1,565,824 of the total, while women continue to outpace men 3,250,338 females (52.15%) against 2,982,335 males (47.85%).
The report also highlighted growing inclusion, as 137,865 persons with disabilities (PWDs) have pre-registered, a development observers describe as a positive step for electoral participation.
Completed Registrations Cross One Million
Statistics from completed registrations (online and physical) between September 22–26 show that 1,004,132 Nigerians have finalized their enrolment. This includes 537,743 completed online and 466,389 processed physically at INEC registration centres nationwide.
‘Nigerians Believe in the Process’ – INEC
Reacting to the figures, Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, Rotimi Oyekanmi, said the impressive turnout reflects renewed confidence in Nigeria’s electoral process.
“The notion that Nigerians have lost confidence in the electoral process is more of a myth than reality. The high level of participation, especially among youths, in the CVR proves otherwise,” Oyekanmi said.
He recalled that when the CVR portal opened at 8:30 a.m. on August 18, over 69,000 Nigerians pre-registered within just seven hours. By August 24, barely a week later, the number had surged to 1.37 million online pre-registrations.
Oyekanmi stressed that all online pre-registrants must still appear physically at designated centres to complete biometric capture, in line with the Electoral Act 2022.
