The Independent National Electoral Commission has officially published the final voter register for the upcoming gubernatorial elections in Edo and Ondo states.
This decision comes after a meeting held by the commission was announced in a statement signed by Sam Olumekun, the National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee.
Scheduled for September 21, 2024, is the Edo State governorship election, with the Ondo State election following on November 16, 2024.
The updated register has integrated new voters from the recent Continuous Voter Registration exercise, including successful transferees from other states to Edo and Ondo.
According to the statement, “Edo State now boasts a total of 2,629,025 registered voters, with males at 1,370,061 (52.11%) and females at 1,258,964 (47.89%). The youth demographic, aged 18 to 35, constitutes 37.4% of the voter base, amounting to 983,133 individuals.
The middle-aged group, ages 36 to 49, accounts for 914,806 voters, representing 72.2% of the registered voters. Students make up the largest occupational group at 868,764 (33.05%), with 4,199 Persons with Disabilities comprising 0.16%.
The new register reflects a 4.9% increase from the 2023 general election figure of 2,501,081 voters.”
For Ondo State, the statement reveals, “There are now 2,053,061 registered voters, with 50.36% being male (1,034,006) and 49.64% female (1,018,964).
“Youths aged 18 to 35 make up 35.41% of the voter population at 726,944, while the middle-aged group constitutes 721,982 individuals (35.17%). Together, they represent 70.57% of the registered voters in the state.
“Of the occupational categories, students lead with 694,938 voters (33.85%). Persons with Disabilities amount to 1,782 individuals (0.09%).
“The new register exhibits a 3.0% growth compared to the 2023 general election figure of 1,191,344.”
Olumekun highlighted that INEC has uploaded a detailed breakdown of the voter register by gender, age, occupation, disability, and Local Government Areas on its website and social media channels for public scrutiny.
He also mentioned that the commission would soon announce the schedule for the collection of Permanent Voter Cards for all voter categories in both states, including new registrants, transfer applicants, card replacements, and uncollected cards from previous registrations.
“Over the next few days, the commission will unveil the collection timetable for Permanent Voter Cards in both states, catering to all voter categories such as recent registrants, transfer requesters, replacements, and unclaimed cards from prior registrations,” said the national commissioner.