The Independent National Electoral Commission has recorded 154,479 pre-registrations by persons with disabilities during the seventh week of its Continuous Voter Registration exercise, marking significant inclusion in the electoral process.
The figure represents 2.25% of the total 6,856,979 pre-registrations recorded between September 29 and October 5, 2025, according to statistics released by INEC.
The statistics revealed various categories of disabilities among registrants, including 14,959 persons with albinism, 13,624 blind persons, 6,930 deaf persons, and 12,084 persons with physical impediments during the pre-registration period.
Other categories include 5,910 persons with autism, 3,885 with cognitive learning disabilities, 1,456 with Down syndrome, 4,417 with little stature, 1,165 with spinal cord injury, and 90,049 classified as others.
However, the data showed a sharp drop in completed registrations by persons with disabilities, with only 17,450 PWDs completing both online and physical registration during Week Six, representing 1.43 % of the 1,216,048 total completed registrations.
For completed registrations, persons with albinism were recorded at 2,911, blind persons at 1,440, deaf persons at 1,228, and those with physical impairments at 1,766.
The lower conversion rate from pre-registration to completed registration among PWDs raises questions about the accessibility of physical registration centres and the availability of assistive technologies needed to complete the process.
INEC stated that it has made provisions for persons with disabilities in the electoral process, including priority treatment at registration centres and specialised assistance for those who require it.
The overall CVR exercise showed strong participation across demographics, with females leading at 3,581,562 pre-registrations representing 52.23%, while youth aged 18 to 34 years dominated with 4,689,637 pre-registrations.
Students accounted for 1,728,384 pre-registrations during the week under review.
The Continuous Voter Registration exercise allows eligible Nigerians to register as voters, transfer their registration, request replacement of lost or damaged Permanent Voter Cards, and update their voter information.
Nigerians, including persons with disabilities, can register online at https://cvr.inecnigeria.org or visit physical registration centres across the country to complete the process.