The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Mahmood Yakubu, has revealed that Nigeria’s registered voter population significantly exceeds that of all 14 other countries in the West African subregion combined by over 10 million.
During a visit by the European Union Ambassador to Nigeria and West Africa, Samuela Isopi, on Tuesday, Yakubu highlighted the immense scale of Nigeria’s electoral process. He noted that as of the 2023 general elections, Nigeria had over 93 million registered voters, compared to the 74 million registered across the rest of West Africa.
“There are 74 million registered voters in West Africa. In 2023, we had 93 million registered voters in Nigeria, which is almost 10 million more than the other 14 countries put together,” Yakubu stated.
He emphasized that organizing a general election in Nigeria is comparable to conducting elections for the entire West African region and part of Central Africa. He further illustrated the scale of Nigeria’s voter registration, citing that during the recent Continuous Voter Registration exercise, Edo State alone registered 119,000 new voters, while Ondo State added 55,000, totaling 177,000 new voters—more than double the 70,000 new voters registered across Ghana during a similar exercise.
Yakubu reiterated INEC’s commitment to enhancing the electoral process and deepening democracy in Nigeria through collaboration with relevant stakeholders.
Samuela Isopi, whose tenure as EU Ambassador to Nigeria ends on Friday, underscored the importance of supporting democracy in Africa, especially in the current climate where democratic institutions are facing significant challenges across the region. She praised Nigeria as the largest democracy on the African continent and affirmed the European Union’s continued support for Nigeria’s democratic journey.
