Lagos, Kano and Kaduna have emerged as the three states with the largest voting populations ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 general elections, according to the latest voter register released by the Independent National Electoral Commission.
The three states have a combined 18,721,549 registered voters, giving them significant electoral weight as political parties intensify preparations for the 2027 elections.
INEC Chairman, Prof Joash Amupitan, disclosed the figures on Tuesday at a stakeholders’ meeting and press conference in Abuja while presenting the commission’s latest update on the national register.
Lagos leads the country with 7,488,633 registered voters, followed by Kano with 6,570,276 and Kaduna with 4,662,640.
According to him, Nigeria now has 103,428,715 registered voters following the completion of the three-phase Continuous Voter Registration exercise and the subsequent biometric verification and clean-up of the register.
Katsina occupies fourth position with 3,876,051 voters, while Rivers is fifth with 3,736,434.
Oyo follows with 3,588,111, Delta has 3,525,988, Benue 3,057,225, Ogun 3,037,981, while Bauchi completes the top 10 with 3,012,547 registered voters.
The concentration of millions of registered voters in the leading states is expected to make voter mobilisation, turnout and electoral strategy in those states particularly important to parties and candidates seeking victory in 2027.
Beyond the state-by-state figures, the register also provides a picture of the electorate that political parties will be seeking to win over.
INEC said nationwide collection of newly issued Permanent Voter Cards would begin on October 9, 2026.
The commission will also display the voters’ register nationwide from October 9 to 15 to allow Nigerians to scrutinise their details and raise claims or objections ahead of the 2027 elections.
