For the upcoming Edo and Ondo governorship elections, the Independent National Electoral Commission has now unveiled the definitive register of voters.
This decision comes after a commission meeting held on Tuesday, as stated in a release signed by Sam Olumekun, the National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee.
The new register includes new voters from the recent Continuous Voter Registration and also includes successful applicants who transferred from other states to Edo and Ondo.
In Edo, there are now 2,629,025 registered voters. This represents a 4.9% increase from the 2023 General Election figure of 2,501,081. Of these, 1,370,061 are male, comprising 52.11%, while 1,258,964 are female, making up 47.89%. Youth aged 18 to 35 make up 983,133 voters, which is 37.4%.
The middle-aged group, aged 36 to 49, consists of 914,806 individuals, collectively representing 72.2% of the registered voters. Students, totaling 868,764, make up the majority of voters at 33.05%. Additionally, there are 4,199 Persons with Disability, constituting 0.16% of the voters in the state. The new register reflects a 4.9% increase over the 2023 General Election figure of 2,501,081,” as explained by the commission.
In Ondo, the number of registered voters now stands at 2,053,061. This new register shows a 3.0% increase from the 2023 General Election figure of 1,991,344. Of these, 1,034,006 are male (50.36%), and 1,018,964 are female (49.64%). Youth aged 18 to 35 make up 726,944 voters (35.41%), while the middle-aged group includes 721,982 individuals (35.17%). Together, they represent 70.57% of the registered voters in the state.
Among the registered voters, 694,938 are students, constituting the majority at 33.85%. There are 1,782 (0.09%) Persons with Disabilities. The new register shows a 3.0% increase over the 2023 General Election figure of 1,191,344,” the statement added.
Olumekun highlighted that INEC has made available a detailed breakdown of the voter register by Local Government Areas, gender, age, occupation, and disability on its website and social media platforms for public viewing.
He also mentioned that the commission will soon release the timetable for the collection of Permanent Voters’ Cards for all groups of voters in both states, including new registrants, transfer applicants, card replacements, and uncollected cards from past registrations.
“The Commission will soon release the timetable for the collection of Permanent Voters’ Cards for both states for all voter categories, including new registrants from the recent CVR, transfer applicants, replacements, and uncollected cards from previous registrations,” stated the national commissioner.
The Edo election is set to occur on September 21, 2024. Seventeen political parties have put forward candidates for the election.
The Ondo election is slated for November 16, 2024. While seventeen political parties have nominated candidates, notably, no female candidates are among the governorship candidates.