15.1m new voters to participate in 2019 elections as national register hits 84m

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says at least 84 million Nigerians will participate in this year’s general elections.

Mahmood Yakubu, INEC chairman, disclosed this on Monday in Abuja while presenting the national voter register to political parties.

He said the total number of registered voters in the country stand at 84,004,084.

This translates to just 42 percent of Nigeria’s population which currently stands at 198 million.

The number is 15.17 million more than the 68, 833, 476 Nigerians who voted in the 2015 general election.

The south-south has 12,841,279 registered voters, representing 15.29 percent of the total number of registered voters.

The north-central has 13,366,070 voters, representing 15.91 percent; south-east has 10,057,130 registered voters, representing 11.91 percent, and south-west 16,292,212, representing 19.39 percent of the total number of voters.

The north-west has 20,158,100 voters, representing 24 percent while the north-east has 11,289, 293 representing 13.44 percent of the total registered voters.

The presidential election is scheduled to hold on February 16 while the governorship and state houses of assembly polls will take place on March 2.

In November, INEC said 73 political parties will be participating in the elections.