Governor Sule raises alarm over poor voter registration turnout in Nasarawa

Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Sule, has expressed serious concern about the low turnout of residents in the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise organized by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Speaking through his Deputy, Dr. Emmanuel Akabe, on Wednesday during the official flag-off of the All Progressives Congress (APC) grassroots sensitization and voter education campaign in Lafia, Governor Sule highlighted the urgency of increasing voter registration.

The event also celebrated the two-year anniversary of the state APC Chairman, Aliyu Bello, and Secretary, Yairus Dagusa, in their respective roles.

Governor Sule pointed out that recent data indicates Nasarawa is trailing behind other states in the CVR process, a trend he warned could weaken the state’s political influence in upcoming elections.

“If you examine the latest figures, Nasarawa ranks among the lowest states in voter registration participation. This is a call for us to return to our wards and polling units to mobilize people to register. Without registering, they cannot exercise their voting rights in the 2027 general elections,” he stressed.

While congratulating the APC leadership on their two years of service, Sule praised both past and current party executives for guiding the party to electoral successes and encouraged continued unity and hard work.

Meanwhile, the Speaker of the Nasarawa State House of Assembly, Danladi Jatau, lauded the voter education initiative but noted a worrying disparity between the state’s growing population and the low number of registered voters.

“Our population is increasing rapidly, yet the number of registered voters remains embarrassingly low. I urge every resident to take this exercise seriously, collect their Permanent Voter Cards, and prepare to vote in 2027,” Jatau urged.

He added, “As lawmakers, we will continue to pass laws that safeguard the rights of our people and support the executive in delivering good governance.”

In his remarks, APC Chairman Aliyu Bello reaffirmed the party’s unwavering loyalty to Governor Sule and announced that the state’s party executives had unanimously agreed to support any candidate he endorses for the 2027 governorship race, irrespective of senatorial district.

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

The event attracted a large turnout of APC stakeholders, including federal and state lawmakers, commissioners, local government chairmen, and grassroots leaders from all 13 local government areas of Nasarawa State.

INEC commenced the in-person phase of the Continuous Voter Registration on August 25, 2025, following a week-long online pre-registration that ended on August 30.