The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has unveiled the final voter register for the forthcoming Edo and Ondo governorship elections. This decision was reached during a commission meeting on Tuesday, as conveyed in a statement by Sam Olumekun, National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee.
The Edo State governorship election is set for September 21, 2024, while Ondo State will go to the polls on November 16, 2024. The updated register includes new voters from the recent Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise and successful transfer applicants from other states to Edo and Ondo.
According to the statement, “Edo State now has 2,629,025 registered voters. Among these, 1,370,061 are male, representing 52.11 per cent, while 1,258,964 are female, making up 47.89 per cent. Youths aged 18 to 35 accounted for 983,133 voters, which is 37.4 per cent. The middle-aged group, aged 36 to 49, comprised 914,806 individuals, collectively constituting 72.2 per cent of the registered voters. 868,764 students constitute the majority of voters or 33.05 per cent. Additionally, there are 4,199 Persons with Disabilities, representing 0.16 per cent of the voters in the state.”
The statement further noted that the new register represents a 4.9 per cent increase over the 2023 general election figure of 2,501,081.
For Ondo State, the statement revealed, “The state now has 2,053,061 registered voters. Of these, 1,034,006 are male (50.36 per cent), and 1,018,964 are female (49.64 per cent). Youths aged 18 to 35 years make up 726,944 voters (35.41 per cent), while the middle-aged group consists of 721,982 individuals (35.17 per cent). Together, they represent 70.57 per cent of the registered voters in the state. In terms of occupation, 694,938 students constitute the majority of voters (33.85 per cent). There are 1,782 (0.09 per cent) PWDs. The new register represents a 3.0 per cent increase over the 2023 general election figure of 1,191,344.”
Olumekun also stated that INEC has uploaded a detailed breakdown of the voter register by Local Government Areas, gender, age, occupation, and disability to its website and social media platforms for public access.
“In the next few days, the commission will release the timetable for the collection of Permanent Voter Cards for the two states for all categories of voters, including new registrants from the last CVR, voters that applied for transfers, replacements and uncollected cards from previous registrations,” the national commissioner added.
This comprehensive release aims to ensure transparency and accessibility as Edo and Ondo prepare for their crucial elections.
