Ondo State Missing from Top 10 Voters’ Register Despite Heavy Support Group Campaigns

AKURE, Nigeria — Despite months of intense political mobilization and frequent, high-profile pledges from regional support groups promising millions of votes for President Bola Tinubu, Ondo State has completely missed the list of the top 10 states with the highest number of registered voters.

According to official data released by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on October 6, 2026, Nigeria’s National Register of Voters has hit a historic 103.4 million following a rigorous three-phase Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise.

However, a closer look at the state-by-state breakdown reveals a stark contrast between political rhetoric and actual registration numbers in the Sunshine State.

While megastates like Lagos (7,488,633 registered voters) and Kano (6,570,276 registered voters) solidified their dominance at the top of the chart, Ondo State didn’t just miss the top 10—it sits firmly near the bottom of the national register.

Official INEC statistics reveal that Ondo State holds only 1,733,641 registered voters. This reality makes the mathematical promises of delivering “one million votes” from individual support groups practically impossible, as it would require nearly 60% of the entire state’s registered population to turn out for a single candidate.

Where Ondo State Stands

Rather than competing with the political heavyweights, Ondo’s 1.73 million voters place it among the least populated voter bases in the country, tracking just ahead of the Federal Capital Territory, Bayelsa, and neighboring Ekiti State.

Political analysts suggest that this disparity exposes a growing gap in Nigerian politics: the difference between loud, media-driven campaign committees and actual grassroots civic mobilization. While support groups have filled hotels and social media feeds with endorsements, the data shows they have struggled to convert that energy into actual voter cards.

With the nationwide collection of Permanent Voters’ Cards (PVCs) set to begin on Friday, October 9, 2026, the real test for Ondo’s political actors will no longer be the promises they make in press releases, but how many of those 1.7 million registered citizens actually show up at the ballot box.

The Official Top 10 Voting Giants

In the data presented by INEC Chairman Professor Joash Amupitan, ten states cleared the 3-million-voter threshold to emerge as the country’s primary electoral heavyweights

1. Lagos State: 7,488,633 registered voters
2. Kano State: 6,570,276 registered voters
3. Kaduna State: 4,662,640 registered voters
4. Katsina State: 3,876,051 registered voters
5. Rivers State: 3,736,434 registered voters
6. Oyo State: 3,588,111 registered voters
7. Delta State: 3,525,988 registered voters
8. Benue State: 3,057,225 registered voters
9. Ogun State: 3,037,981 registered voters
10. Bauchi State: 3,012,547 registered voters

Rather than competing with these political heavyweights, Ondo State ranks near the very bottom of the national table, sitting at 34th place out of the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT)

Out of all 37 electoral territories, Ondo is the fourth lowest in voter strength, sitting directly above only the FCT (1,732,043), Bayelsa (1,200,691), and Ekiti (1,055,708)

This reality makes the mathematical promises of delivering “one million votes” from individual support groups practically impossible. For a single candidate to receive 1,000,000 votes in Ondo, it would require an unprecedented 57.7% turnout of every single registered citizen in the state voting for the exact same person.

Political analysts suggest that this disparity exposes a growing gap in Nigerian politics: the difference between loud, media-driven campaign committees and actual grassroots civic mobilization. While support groups have filled hotels and social media feeds with endorsements, the data shows they have struggled to convert that energy into actual voter cards.

With the nationwide collection of Permanent Voters’ Cards (PVCs) set to begin on Friday, October 9, 2026, the real test for Ondo’s political actors will no longer be the promises they make in press releases, but how many of those 1.7 million registered citizens actually show up at the ballot box