Yiaga Africa Raises Poser on Voters Register, Asks if Young People were Removed

A voters’ register is the official list of people registered to vote in an election. It matters because elections depend on knowing who is eligible and included. The register also shows how participation is distributed across age groups. That makes it useful for planning registration drives and checking whether major groups are adequately represented.

Nigeria’s register contained 93,469,008 voters in 2023. It showed 37,060,399 voters aged 18–34, or 39.6 percent. In 2026, the total reached 103,428,715, but the youth category fell to 29,777,578, or 28.79 percent. These figures make the register more than a total count; they provide evidence for examining demographic shifts.

Yiaga Africa’s Samson Itodo said INEC should explain these changes through age-cohort data. Such information could distinguish ageing, new registrations, removals of dead or unqualified people, and other administrative adjustments. Clear records would help Nigerians understand whether young voters are registering quickly enough.

Nigeria had 93,469,008 registered voters in 2023. By 2026, the register had grown to 103,428,715. This means the total increased by 9,959,707 voters. The change matters because the register’s overall growth can look strong even while particular age groups shrink.

The increase represented 10.66 percent growth between 2023 and 2026. For comparison, the register grew by 11.27 percent between 2019 and 2023, although that earlier period covered four years. The article therefore describes a marginally lower percentage growth in the latest period, despite a slightly larger absolute increase.

The total does not explain who entered or left the register. Yiaga Africa’s Samson Itodo said INEC should publish age-cohort information covering new registrations, age transitions, removals of dead and unqualified people, and other adjustments. That detail would show what produced the overall increase.

The number of registered voters aged 18–34 declined between 2023 and 2026, even though the overall register grew. In 2023, this group had 37,060,399 voters, representing 39.6 percent of all registered voters. In 2026, it had 29,777,578 voters, or 28.79 percent.

The numerical change was a reduction of 7,282,821 voters. Yiaga Africa calculated this as a 19.65 percent decline in the age category. Its share also fell by approximately 10.9 percentage points. At the same time, the 35–49 group increased by 9,852,355 voters, reaching 43,265,946, or 41.83 percent.

These figures do not by themselves prove that young people were removed. Some voters naturally moved into older categories as three years passed. The article says INEC must also explain new youth registrations and administrative adjustments before the decline can be fully understood.

A smaller youth category does not automatically mean young voters were removed. The register groups voters by age, and people remain in the system while moving from one category to another. Therefore, a category can shrink even when the total register grows.

The article gives a specific example. People aged 32, 33, and 34 in 2023 would be in the 35–49 category by 2026. This transition could reduce the 18–34 total and increase the older category. Indeed, voters aged 35–49 increased by 9,852,355 between the two registers.

However, ageing is only one possible explanation. It does not show whether newly eligible young people registered at a sufficient rate, or whether INEC made administrative changes. It could include removing dead or unqualified people. INEC would need detailed age-cohort data to separate these causes clearly.

Age categories measure the register’s composition at a particular time. When three years pass, some voters cross an age boundary. Their records may remain, but they are counted in a different group. This changes both the numbers and percentages assigned to each category.

For example, a voter aged 34 in 2023 could be counted in the 35–49 group by 2026. If many voters make that transition, the youth category falls while the middle-age category rises. The article reports that youth declined by 7,282,821 voters, while the 35–49 group increased by 9,852,355.

Percentages can shift further because the total register also changed. The total rose to 103,428,715 in 2026, while youth’s share fell from 39.6 percent to 28.79 percent. New registrations, removals, and other adjustments also affect the final distribution, so ageing cannot be assessed alone.

If newly eligible young Nigerians register more slowly than older voters move through the categories, the youth group can become a smaller part of the electorate. That matters because the register would contain fewer 18–34 voters relative to older groups. Youth concerns could then receive less attention in registration efforts and election discussions.

The article shows the pattern already under examination. Youth voters fell from 37,060,399, or 39.6 percent, in 2023 to 29,777,578, or 28.79 percent, in 2026. Meanwhile, the 35–49 group rose to 43,265,946, or 41.83 percent. The numbers do not identify the cause by themselves.

Yiaga Africa’s Samson Itodo said the key question is whether youth registration is sufficient to replace voters ageing out. If it is not, he called for increased investment in youth mobilisation for registration. INEC’s explanations would help determine the appropriate response.

INEC would need to publish a detailed age-cohort analysis across the 2015, 2019, 2023, and 2026 registers. This would track what happened to voters within each age group over time. It would also make the register’s changing composition easier to examine.

The analysis should separate newly registered voters from people who moved into older age categories. It should also identify removals of dead and unqualified persons, plus other administrative adjustments. For example, voters aged 32–34 in 2023 could appear in the 35–49 group in 2026 because of ageing, not deletion.

The article says this information would help answer whether young Nigerians are registering fast enough to replace those ageing out. If the decline reflects inadequate youth registration, Yiaga Africa supports more mobilisation. If it reflects administrative adjustments, INEC should document and explain them clearly.