INEC registers over 1.2 million new voters in ongoing CVR exercise
The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has announced a significant rise in voter enrolment under the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration, CVR, exercise, revealing that more than 1.2 million Nigerians have successfully registered in the second phase of the programme.
In an update shared on its official X platform 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.
This represents a sharp increase from the 884,737 registrants recorded at the close of Week Five.
INEC’s data shows that 673,124 applicants initiated their registration through the online pre-registration portal, while 555,524 individuals finalised the process at designated physical registration centres nationwide.
A state-by-state analysis indicates that Jigawa State recorded the highest number of new registrants, with 98,698 voters, accounting for 8.03 per cent of the total figure.
It is followed by Lagos State (86,307), Sokoto State (77,004) and Kano State (71,990).
The gender distribution reveals that women account for the majority, with 696,891 registrants (57 per cent), while men make up 531,757 (43 per cent).
In terms of age, young Nigerians between 18 and 34 years dominate the registration figures, numbering 848,066, or 69.02 per cent of the total.
INEC also reported that 19,414 Persons with Disabilities, PWDs, have registered nationwide so far.
The Commission noted that the CVR exercise is currently ongoing across the country, except in the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, where registration has been suspended in compliance 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 scheduled to run until April 2026. It follows Phase I, which took place between August and December 2025, during which approximately 2.78 million new voters were added to the national register.
