By Nchetachi Chukwuajah
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said it has recorded a total of 3,441,121 completed registrations in the ongoing second phase of the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise.
This was contained in the week 13 update released by the INEC on Wednesday, April 8, in Abuja, and showed that Jigawa State recorded the highest number of registrations during the period, with 201,047 registrations.
The commission noted that the figure comprises both online pre-registrations and physical walk-ins at various centres nationwide as of April 3.
The data showed that 2,068,384 citizens completed their pre-registration online, while 1,372,737 voters completed their pre-registration at physical centres.
According to the data, Jigawa State topped among states in the country with 201,047, representing 5.84 per cent of the total registrations. It was followed by Lagos with 181,095, while Kano State came third with 177,681.
The update further showed that participation of youths between the ages of 18 and 34 accounted for 2,354,768, representing 68.43 per cent of the new registrants.
In terms of gender distribution, females accounted for 1,922,143, representing 55.86 per cent of the total new voter registrants, while males accounted for 1,518,978, representing 44.14 per cent.
The occupational distribution also showed that students accounted for the largest single block of new voters, at 1,235,931, representing 35.92 per cent, followed by those in business at 701,912, or 20.40 per cent, and farming/fishing at 615,967, or 18.28 per cent.
The INEC data also showed that Persons With Disabilities (PWDs) accounted for 48,330 of the new registrants.
The electoral body explained that the 3,441,121 figure was a preliminary figure pending data clean-up during the period for citizens’ claims and objections, followed by the deployment of the Automated Biometric Identification System.
It added that new registrations remained suspended in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in compliance with Section 9 (6) of the Electoral Act 2022, following the Area Council Election held on February 21.
