Northwest, Southwest record highest number of eligible voters
NEWS DIGEST – The Northwest and Southwest are the two key battlegrounds ahead of the upcoming presidential election, which is taking place in just seven weeks, according to recent data from the Independent National Electoral Commission.
40 million people, or 43% of the 93 million eligible voters for the 2023 presidential election, reside in the Northwest and the Southwest.
This information, which INEC chairman Mahmood Yakubu made available to all 18 registered political parties on Wednesday, suggests that whoever secures a hold on the Northwest and Southwest will win the election on February 25.
The Northwest had the most registered voters on the list with 22,255,562 while the Southwest had 17,958,966. With 15,363,731 votes, the North Central came in third, followed by the South South with 14,440,714 votes, and the Northeast with 12,542,429 votes.
Unsurprisingly, with 10,907,606, the Southeast, which has the lowest population size in the nation, had the lowest number of registered voters.
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In his briefing at the commission’s Abuja headquarters, Mr. Yakubu said that 13,868,441 new Permanent Voter Cards were printed for new registrants and citizens who asked to have their polling place changed.
Although past elections have seen increasing trends of voter apathy, the Northwest have always produced large numbers of votes.
While Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Atiku Abubakar continue to have regional advantages as a result of the APC and PDP’s stronger reputations in local politics, Peter Obi, the candidate for the Labour Party, may find encouragement in the growing number of young people who are able to vote.
The grievances of young Nigerians who were growing weary of their elderly leaders had been the foundation of Peter Obi’s campaign.
“The distribution by age group shows that 37,060,399 (39.65%) are youth between the ages of 18 and 34; 33,413,591 (35.75%) are middle-aged persons between the ages of 35 and 49; 17,700,270 (18.94%) are elderly voters between the ages of 50 and 69, while 5,294,748 (5.66%) are senior citizens aged 70 and above,” Mr Yakubu said.
