According to Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) figures, the number of Nigerians who have collected their PVCs to vote will select the presidential candidate who would follow President Muhammadu Buhari on May 29.
According to experts, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP), and Sen. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso of the New Nigeria Peoples Party are the front-runners among the 18 candidates for president (NNPP).
In a state-by-state breakdown of PVCs gathered, Lagos has the largest number (6,214,970), followed by Kano (5,594,193) Kaduna, 4,164,473; Katsina, 3,459,945 and Rivers, 3,285,785.
Recall that INEC cleared 87,209,007 voters out of the 93.5 million it registered to vote in tomorrow’s Presidential and National Assembly elections and the March 11 governorship and state Assembly polls.
The electoral umpire registered 93,469,008 persons for the election. But, yesterday, the electoral body said a total of 87,209,007 Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) were collected by eligible registrants for the elections.
The 87.2 million voters were the number of people who collected their Permanent Voters Cards, PVCs, as of February 5 when the deadline to collect the cards ended.
According to the data released, yesterday, the number of uncollected PVCs stood at 6,259,229. Nigeria has a registered voting population of 93,469,008.
Meanwhile, the reports indicated that students at 26 million strong, are the highest registered voters by occupation ahead of tomorrow’s polls, while 15 million farmers and 13 million housewives are the second and third-highest registered voters respectively.
With 958, 052 PVCs gathered, Ekiti has the fewest registered voters overall and the fewest collected PVCs.
The North-West has 21,445,000 PVCs, followed by the South-West with 15,536,213 PVCs, the North-Central with 14,603,621 PVCs, the South-South with 13,284,920 PVCs, the North-East with 11,937,769 PVCs, and the South-East with 10,401,484 PVCs.
Recall that INEC cleared 87,209,007 of the 93.5 million voters it had enrolled to vote in the March 11 governorship and state assembly elections, as well as the March 8 presidential and national assembly elections.
93,469,008 people were enrolled to vote by the electoral umpire. However, the electoral authority reported yesterday that a total of 87,209,007 Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) were obtained for the polls by eligible registrants.
As of February 5, when the time to pick up the cards expired, 87.2 million voters had picked up their Permanent Voters Cards, or PVCs.
The amount of PVCs that were still uncollected as of yesterday was 6,259,229. There are 93,469,008 people in Nigeria who are enrolled to vote.
According to reports, students, who number 26 million, have the largest percentage of registered voters among all occupations ahead of tomorrow’s elections. Farmers and housewives, with 15 million and 13 million registered voters, respectively, are in second and third place.
The electoral body added that 8 million traders and 12 million businesspeople are anticipated to participate in the elections.
There are 7 million registered voters who work in other professions. There are 5 million civil employees, 5 million artisans, and 2 million public servants.