Jigawa, Lagos, Sokoto lead as INEC reports 1.2m new voter registrations

‎The Independent National Electoral Commission has reported a surge in voter registrations during the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration exercise, with over 1.2 million Nigerians completing the process in the second phase as of February 13, 2026.

‎According to an official update released by INEC via its X handle on Thursday, a total of 1,228,648 eligible citizens have fully completed registration under Phase II, Week Six.

‎This marks an increase from the 884,737 recorded at the end of Week Five.

‎The breakdown shows that 673,124 individuals began with online pre-registration, while 555,524 completed the process physically at designated centres.

‎By state, the data shows that Jigawa has the highest number of registered voters, with a total of 98,698, representing 8.03 per cent. This is followed by “Lagos, Sokoto and Kano with 86,307, 77,004 and 71,990 registrants,” respectively.

‎By gender, INEC stated: “Female – 696,891 (57%); Male – 531,757 (43%). Age Group: Youth (18–34) – 848,066 (69.02%). Persons with Disabilities (PWDs): 19,414 registrants nationwide.”

‎Figures from the second phase of the Continuous Voter Registration exercise as of February 13, 2026. Credit: INEC

‎The exercise continues nationwide except in the Federal Capital Territory, where the CVR remains suspended in line with the Electoral Act due to the February 21, 2026, Area Council elections.

‎

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

‎

‎It builds on Phase I, which ran from August to December 2025 and added about 2.78 million voters to the register.

‎