Abuja, Nigeria – August 29, 2025 – The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has debunked allegations made by the African Democratic Congress (ADC) that the number of pre-registrants in Osun State during the first week of the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) was suspiciously inflated.
The Commission described the claims as “misleading and unsupported by historical data.”
Osun’s CVR Numbers Align with Previous Patterns — INEC
The ADC, in a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, questioned the 393,269 pre-registrations recorded in Osun State between August 18 and 24, 2025, claiming the figure defied demographic and electoral logic.
But Rotimi Oyekanmi, Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, countered the allegations in a detailed press release, emphasizing that Osun State has consistently topped CVR charts in previous cycles.
“In 2021/2022, Osun State also led in online pre-registration. These numbers are not new or unusual,” Oyekanmi said.
INEC Provides Data from 2021/2022 CVR for Comparison
Oyekanmi backed INEC’s position with historical data:
- June 28, 2021: 59,331 accounts created within 24 hours of CVR launch
- July 12, 2021: 456,909 active accounts, with Osun topping at 154,893
- August 2021 (Week 8): Osun recorded 365,412 pre-registrations
- April 2022: Osun had a total of 708,782 online pre-registrations
These figures, he said, show a consistent trend, indicating strong digital participation in Osun State.
Online Registration Still Requires Biometric Completion
INEC also clarified that online pre-registration alone does not guarantee inclusion in the voters’ register. All applicants must still complete biometric capture at official centres.
“Only individuals who meet constitutional requirements and complete the process are added to the final voters’ register,” Oyekanmi noted.
He reiterated INEC’s commitment to transparency through publicly displayed preliminary registers and its Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS), which eliminates double or fake registrations.
Political Actors Urged to Refrain from Unfounded Claims
INEC urged parties and political actors to avoid speculation and rely solely on verifiable data from the Commission’s public platforms.
“Our responsibility is not to guess why some states record more registrations, but to ensure every valid registrant is captured,” Oyekanmi added.
INEC cited that:
- 14 million new voters were registered ahead of the 2019 General Elections
- 9.4 million fresh voters were added before the 2023 elections
- Bringing the total voter count to 93,469,008
These figures, the Commission said, were the result of due diligence and credible data processing.
