Professor Mahmood Yakubu, Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has emphasized the enormity of Nigeria’s electoral process, revealing that the country’s registered voter population surpasses that of the entire West African subregion by over 10 million.
Yakubu stated, “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. So each time Nigerians go to the polls, it’s like conducting elections for the whole of West Africa and part of Central Africa.”
The INEC Chairman highlighted the substantial voter registration figures during the recent Continuous Voter Registration exercise, with 119,000 voters registered in Edo State alone and an additional 55,000 in Ondo State, totaling 177,000 new voters. In contrast, Ghana registered only 70,000 new voters nationwide during a similar exercise.
Yakubu reiterated INEC’s commitment to collaborating with relevant stakeholders to enhance the electoral process and deepen democracy in Nigeria. European Union Ambassador to Nigeria and West Africa, Samuela Isopi, underscored the importance of supporting democracy in Africa and lauded Nigeria as the largest democracy on the African continent.
Isopi emphasized the European Union’s continued support for Nigeria’s democratic journey, stating, “We know how important the example that Nigeria can give to other countries here. As I said, I think we have gone a long way. Maybe not everything is perfect, but even elsewhere, many things are not perfect.”
