The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has revealed that Nigeria’s registered voter population exceeds that of the 14 other countries in the West African subregion combined by over 10 million.
INEC Chairman Prof. Mahmood Yakubu highlighted the immense scale of Nigeria’s electoral process, noting that organizing a general election in Nigeria is comparable to conducting elections for the entire West African region and part of Central Africa.
As of the 2023 general elections, Nigeria had 93 million registered voters, compared to 74 million across the rest of West Africa.
He also emphasized the substantial voter registration figures during the recent Continuous Voter Registration exercise, with Nigeria registering 177,000 new voters in just two states, compared to Ghana’s 70,000 nationwide.
“In fact, recently, the Electoral Commission in Ghana conducted the equivalent of what we call the Continuous Voter Registration.
“One of the targets of the Electoral Commission in Ghana was to register 70,000 new voters nationwide. But here, in the last Continuous Voter Registration in Edo State alone, we registered 119,000 new voters.
“The additional 55,000 in Ondo State, put together, we registered 177,000. Three times more than what our colleagues in Ghana hoped to register under their own CVR,” he said.
Yakubu reiterated INEC’s commitment to collaborating with relevant stakeholders to further enhance the electoral process and deepen democracy in Nigeria.
The European Union Ambassador to Nigeria and West Africa, Samuela Isopi, praised Nigeria as the largest democracy on the African continent and emphasized the EU’s continued support for the country’s democratic journey.
