South West region has achieved remarkable success in the first week of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) online voter pre-registration exercise, accounting for over 61% of the total 1,379,342 applications received from August 18 to 24, 2025.
Gatekeepers News reports that following the start of the physical registration phase on August 25, 2025, INEC released data indicating that Osun State led the pre-registration tally with 393,269 applications, followed by Lagos with 222,205 and Ogun with 132,823. Other states in the South West included Oyo with 66,951 applications, Ekiti with 29,685, and Ondo with 3,426. Overall, the South West region contributed a total of 848,359 pre-registrations.
In comparison, the South South region recorded 169,377 applications, while the South East reported the lowest figures among the six geopolitical zones, with only 64,696 total pre-registrations. Anambra state notably dominated the South East’s count with 62,698 registrations, whereas other states like Abia (772), Ebonyi (261), Enugu (484), and Imo (481) had significantly lower enrolments.
In the North, the North Central zone, which includes the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), led with 243,768 pre-registrations, primarily due to the FCT’s 107,682 and Kogi’s 58,546. The North West recorded 145,490 applications, while the North East was the least active zone in the region, achieving only 77,652 pre-registrations, amounting to just 5.6% of the national total.
Overall, southern Nigeria comprised 66.2% (912,432) of the registrations, whereas the North accounted for 33.8% (466,910).
Demographically, youths aged 18–34 years represented the majority of pre-registrants, making up 62.37% (860,286). This was followed by middle-aged voters (35–49 years) at 24.76%, elderly individuals (50–69 years) at 11.41%, and those aged 70 and above representing just 1.46%.
In terms of gender distribution, women slightly exceeded men, accounting for 52.04% (717,856) of the total compared to 47.96% (661,486) for men.
Students formed the largest occupational group, constituting 27.15% (374,534) of the pre-registrants, followed by business persons at 24.82% (342,363) and traders at 11.68% (161,137). Artisans made up 10.12%, while farmers and fishers represented 9.23%. Civil and public servants collectively accounted for less than 5%.
It is important to note that these figures reflect only online and initial registrations. Applicants must complete their registration at designated INEC physical registration centers to be included in the official voter register. The physical Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) process is ongoing at 811 centers nationwide, including all 774 Local Government Area offices and state offices, operating from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday to Friday.
