2.5m Nigerians register as INEC concludes first phase of CVR

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced the conclusion of the first phase of the ongoing nationwide continuous voter registration (CVR) exercise.

The commission began the online pre-registration on August 18 and in-person registration on August 25.

In a statement on Wednesday, Victoria Eta-Messi, INEC’s director of voter education and publicity, said 9,891,801 Nigerians have registered online since pre-registration started.

Eta-Messi said 2,572,054 of the registrations have been fully completed nationwide, comprising 1,503,832 online completions and 1,068,222 physical registrations as of November 28.

She said the first phase of the CVR will formally end on December 10, adding that the second phase will resume on January 5, 2026, in line with the timelines earlier released.

She explained that in accordance with section 19 of the Electoral Act 2022, the display of the voter register for claims and objections will be held from December 15 to 21 at LGA offices where the CVR exercise was conducted.

Eta-Messi urged eligible citizens, particularly those who newly registered, transferred voting locations, or updated their details, to take advantage of the opportunity to verify their information, report errors, and draw attention to ineligible or deceased individuals.

Eta-Messi also reminded Nigerians that registration activities in Anambra state and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) remain suspended due to ongoing electoral activities.

She added that new dates for the resumption of the CVR in both locations will be communicated in due course.