The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says no fewer than 95 million Nigerians are eligible to elect Nigeria’s next President on February 25, 2023.
INEC Chairman Mahmood Yakubu announced the figure at an event organized by the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) and the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) in Washington D.C, United States, yesterday.
Yakubu said: “There are 18 political parties in the race to produce the next President to be elected by 95 million voters. We had over 84 million registered voters in 2019. But with the last Continuous Registration of Voters (CVR), we are going to add at least 10 million Nigerians and that will take the Register of Voters to 95 million.”
The INEC boss added that “the election is significant because the incumbent President (Muhammadu Buhari) is not eligible to run, this being his second and final term.
“I say this and I won’t be tired of saying it to an audience like this: In West Africa, there are 15 countries, including Nigeria. But the total number of registered voters in the 14 countries combined is 73 million. In Nigeria, it’s going to be 95 million.
“So, there will be 22 million more voters in Nigeria than the whole of West Africa put together. Each time a Nigerian goes to the polls, it’s like the whole of West Africa voting. And these 95 million citizens will vote in 176, 846 polling units.
“Beyond the presidential election, governorship elections will also be held in 28 out of the 36 states of the country. In eight states, elections are held off-season but there will also be elections for all 109 Senatorial districts in the country, 360 Federal constituencies, 993 state constituencies, and the presidential, making a total of 1,491 constituencies for which 18 political parties are sponsoring 12,163 candidates.”
