*Names states with highest votes, other details of register
By Ime Silas
With one hundred (100) days to the 2027 general elections, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has announced that Nigeria’s National Register of Voters now stands at 103 million following the conclusion of the Automated Biometric Identification System, ABIS, verification, making Nigeria the largest democracy in Africa.
The Chairman of the Commission, Professor Joash Amupitan, disclosed this on Tuesday at the ongoing 2027 General Election World Press Conference and National Stakeholders’ Meeting in Abuja.
“Following the conclusion of the Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS) verification, the National Register of Voters now stands at 103 million, making Nigeria the largest democracy in Africa,” Amupitan said.
He said preparations for the 2027 general elections were in top gear, but stressed that executing a national election of that magnitude requires robust financial backing and discipline.
“Executing a national election of this magnitude requires robust financial backing and discipline. The federal government has maintained its commitment to democratic governance through the timely release of statutory allocation to the commission… However, we expect the prompt release of the remaining budget to ensure seamless execution of activities,” the INEC Chairman stated.
Giving a breakdown of the register, Amupitan disclosed that Lagos State maintains its lead as the state with the highest number of registered voters.
“The top 10 states by number of registered voters are Lagos State in first position with 7,488,633 registered voters, followed by Kano State with 6,570,276, Kaduna State with 4,662,640 voters… And then the 10th is Bauchi State, with 3,012, 547,” he said.
The Chairman also gave details of the gender and age distribution of the register, noting that male voters still constitute a slight majority.
“Male voters account for 53,528,218, representing 51.75 percent of the register, while the number of female voters is 49,900,497,” he said.
On the age profile, Amupitan noted that the register is dominated by young and middle-aged voters, which he described as a reflection of Nigeria’s youthful population.
“The age profile shows that the register is dominated by voters aged 35 to 49 years, who account for 41.83 percent followed by voters aged 18 to 34 years accounting for 28.79 percent. Voters aged 50 to 69 years account for 22.22 percent. Those aged 70 years and above are the smallest age group, with 7.16 percent,” he explained.
The INEC boss further disclosed that the register includes persons with disabilities, PWDs, spread across 10 disability categories.
“The Register of Voters records 232,658 persons with disabilities (PWD) spread across 10 disability categories, which represents roughly 0.2 percent of the total 103 million registered voters. The largest category of these PWD is classified as ‘others’ with 101,183 voters,” he stated.
Meanwhile, the Nigeria Police Force has assured Nigerians of its readiness to ensure safety and maintain law and order before, during and after the 2027 general elections.
The Police gave the assurance at the ongoing stakeholders’ meeting, saying it was working round the clock to ensure the safety of citizens.
In a related development, the National Chairman of the Inter-Party Advisory Council, IPAC, Yusuf Dantalle, has urged the Independent National Electoral Commission and security agencies to remain neutral and non-partisan during the elections.
Dantalle made the call at the National Stakeholders’ Meeting in Abuja, stressing that neutrality of INEC and security agencies remains critical to credible, free and fair elections.
Stakeholders at the meeting said the new figures released by INEC will shape political strategies ahead of the 2027 polls, with Lagos, Kano and Kaduna remaining the major battlegrounds.
The Commission assured that it will continue to clean up the register to ensure that only eligible voters participate in the forthcoming elections.
