Governor Sule raises alarm over poor voter registration turnout in Nasarawa

Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Sule, has expressed deep concern over the low level of participation by residents in the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration, CVR, exercise conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.

The governor, represented by his Deputy, Dr Emmanuel Akabe, made the remarks on Wednesday in Lafia during the official flag-off of the All Progressives Congress, APC, grassroots sensitisation and voter education campaign.

The event also marked the second anniversary of the state APC Chairman, Aliyu Bello, and Secretary, Yairus Dagusa, in office.

Governor Sule noted that available data shows Nasarawa is lagging behind other states in the voter registration process, stressing that this trend poses a threat to the state’s political influence in future elections.

“If you look at the figures recently published, Nasarawa State is among the lowest in terms of participation in the ongoing CVR.

“This is a call for us to return to our constituencies, wards and polling units to mobilise our people to register. Without voter registration, they cannot exercise their rights in the 2027 general elections,” he said.

While congratulating the APC leadership for their two years of service, Sule commended the efforts of both past and present party executives for steering the party to victories and urged them to continue working in unity.

Meanwhile, the Speaker of the Nasarawa State House of Assembly, Danladi Jatau, applauded the initiative, warning that the state’s rapidly growing population does not reflect in the number of registered voters.

“Our population is rising, but our number of registered voters is embarrassingly low.

“I urge every resident to take this exercise seriously, obtain their Permanent Voter Cards, and be ready to vote in 2027.

“As lawmakers, we will continue to enact laws that protect the rights of our people while supporting the executive in delivering good governance,” Jatau said.

In his address, APC Chairman Aliyu Bello reaffirmed the party’s loyalty to Governor Sule, revealing that the state’s party executives had unanimously agreed to back any candidate he endorses for the 2027 governorship race, regardless of senatorial district.

“As loyal party members, we are ready to stand behind whoever His Excellency chooses as the APC flag bearer in 2027. Our focus is unity and victory for the party,” Bello declared.

The event drew a large gathering of APC stakeholders, including federal and state lawmakers, commissioners, local government chairmen, and grassroots leaders from across all 13 LGAs of the state.

INEC had earlier commenced the in-person phase of the CVR on August 25, 2025, following a week of online pre-registration, which ended on August 30.

Governor Sule raises alarm over poor voter registration turnout in Nasarawa