Jigawa, Lagos, Sokoto top list as INEC records 1.2m new voters

The Independent National Electoral Commission has announced a sharp rise in the number of Nigerians taking part in the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration exercise, with more than 1.2 million eligible citizens successfully completing the process in the second phase.

In an update shared on its official X handle on Thursday, the Independent National Electoral Commission said that as of February 13, 2026, a total of 1,228,648 Nigerians had fully registered under Phase II, Week Six of the exercise.

The commission noted that the latest figure shows a significant increase from the 884,737 registrations recorded at the end of Week Five, reflecting growing public interest in the process.

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.

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