...42.5m Voters In 10 States As Ogun Makes Top 10
…INEC Deploys AI To Verify Results, Detect Cyberattacks
Daud Olatunji
Lagos, Kano and Kaduna have emerged as the three states with the highest number of registered voters ahead of the 2027 general elections, as the Independent National Electoral Commission puts Nigeria’s national voter register at more than 103 million.
The development comes as INEC moves to strengthen the technological security of the 2027 elections, announcing plans to deploy artificial intelligence to verify election results, detect anomalies and protect its electoral databases against cyberattacks and unauthorised alterations.
The latest voter figures, released by INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, on Tuesday, show Lagos leading with 7,488,633 registered voters, followed by Kano with 6,570,276 and Kaduna with 4,662,640.
The figures were announced at INEC’s World Press Conference and National Stakeholders Meeting held at the Bola Tinubu International Conference Centre, Abuja.
The commission said the national register now stands at approximately 103.4 million registered voters after the completion of the three-phase Continuous Voter Registration exercise and final biometric clean-up.
Amupitan disclosed that the CVR exercise produced 10,772,421 new registrations, which were subjected to verification through INEC’s Automated Biometric Identification System.
With more than 42 million voters concentrated in the 10 states with the largest registers, the distribution is expected to be closely watched by political parties and stakeholders as preparations intensify for the 2027 elections.
Top 10 States
After Lagos, Kano and Kaduna, Katsina occupies fourth position with 3,876,051 registered voters, while Rivers ranks fifth with 3,736,434.
Oyo is sixth with 3,588,111 voters, followed by Delta with 3,525,988.
Benue has 3,057,225 registered voters, while Ogun occupies the ninth position with 3,037,981.
Bauchi, with 3,012,547 registered voters, completes the top 10.
The ranking means that all the 10 leading states have more than three million registered voters, while Lagos alone accounts for almost 7.5 million names on the register.
Ogun’s inclusion is also notable as the state joins the group of states with more than three million registered voters ahead of the 2027 elections.
Ekiti At Bottom
While Lagos leads the register, Ekiti State has the lowest number of registered voters, with 1,055,708.
It is followed by Bayelsa, with 1,200,691, while Yobe has 1,733,641 and Gombe records 1,768,566.
The Federal Capital Territory has 1,772,043 registered voters, according to the figures announced by the commission.
INEC Brings AI Into 2027 Election
Beyond the size and distribution of the voter population, INEC is also introducing another major technological layer into the 2027 electoral process.
Amupitan disclosed that the commission had established a dedicated Artificial Intelligence Division within its Information and Communications Technology Department.
He said automated AI auditing tools had already been integrated into the commission’s result-verification process under a five-pillar AI governance framework, with mandatory human oversight.
The INEC chairman said a formal AI governance policy was also being finalised.
According to him, INEC is working with international technology companies and other partners to deploy AI-powered anomaly detection systems capable of monitoring database traffic and helping to protect electoral systems from cyber intrusions, unauthorised access and alterations to election data.
The move could give the commission additional technological capacity as it prepares to manage an electoral register containing more than 103 million voters.
AI Raises New Questions
However, the planned deployment of AI also introduces a fresh layer of questions around transparency, accountability and the limits of automated decision-making in Nigeria’s elections.
Questions have already emerged over exactly how the technology will interact with existing electoral systems, including the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, electronic transmission of results and manual collation in areas affected by poor network connectivity.
Some technology and election observers have also raised questions about who will control the AI systems, what data will be available to them, how anomalies will be determined and whether political parties and independent observers will have sufficient access to audit their operations.
These concerns are particularly significant because an AI system is only as dependable as the data, rules and safeguards governing it.
INEC’s emphasis on mandatory human oversight therefore becomes crucial, particularly where an automated system flags an election result, identifies an alleged anomaly or detects unusual activity within the commission’s databases.
Meanwhile, INEC disclosed that male voters constitute the majority of the national register, with 53,528,218 men, representing 51.75 per cent.
Female voters number 49,900,497, representing 48.25 per cent.
Voters aged between 35 and 49 years form the largest age group, with 43,265,946, representing 41.83 per cent.
They are followed by voters aged 18 to 34, numbering 29,777,576, or 28.79 per cent.
Those aged 50 to 69 account for 22,982,900, representing 22.22 per cent, while voters aged 70 and above number 7,402,291, or 7.16 per cent.
The register also contains 232,658 persons with disabilities across 10 disability categories.
Register Opens For Public Scrutiny
INEC said the voters’ register would be displayed nationwide from October 9 to 16, 2026, in line with Section 19(1) of the Electoral Act 2026.
The exercise is expected to give registered voters an opportunity to verify their details and raise claims or objections over entries in the register.
The commission said claims and objections arising from the exercise would subsequently be addressed.
PVC Distribution Begins October 9
The commission also announced that the first phase of Permanent Voter Card distribution would commence on October 9 at all local government centres.
The development comes as political parties and candidates intensify their mobilisation ahead of the 2027 polls.
With the voter register now exceeding 103 million, the combination of massive voter numbers, state-by-state electoral strength and INEC’s planned use of artificial intelligence is likely to make technology, transparency, cybersecurity and public confidence central issues in the countdown to the 2027 elections.
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