The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced a surge in voter enrolment under the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise, with more than 1.2 million Nigerians successfully registered in the second phase of the programme.
In an update posted on its official X handle on Thursday, the Commission disclosed that as of February 13, 2026, a total of 1,228,648 eligible voters had completed registration during Phase II, Week Six of the exercise.
The latest figure marks a significant rise from the 884,737 registrants recorded at the end of Week Five, underscoring growing public participation in the process.
According to INEC’s data, 673,124 applicants initiated their registration through the online pre-registration portal, while 555,524 individuals concluded the process at designated physical registration centres across the country.
A breakdown of the figures shows that Jigawa State recorded the highest number of new registrants with 98,698 voters, representing 8.03 per cent of the total. Lagos State followed with 86,307 registrants, while Sokoto and Kano states recorded 77,004 and 71,990 new voters respectively.
Gender analysis indicates that women constitute the majority of new registrants, accounting for 696,891 entries or 57 per cent, compared to 531,757 men, representing 43 per cent.
Youth participation remains dominant, with Nigerians aged 18 to 34 years making up 848,066 registrants—approximately 69.02 per cent of the total figure.
The Commission also revealed that 19,414 Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) have registered nationwide so far.
INEC noted that the CVR exercise is ongoing across the country, except in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), where registration has been suspended in line with the Electoral Act ahead of the February 21, 2026 Area Council elections.
Phase II of the CVR commenced on January 5, 2026, and is expected to run until April 2026. It follows the completion of Phase I, held between August and December 2025, during which approximately 2.78 million new voters were added to the national register.
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