Despite earning a spot as the most populous country in Africa, Nigeria still struggles with voter apathy. As the country prepares for its next major elections scheduled to hold in 2023, questions about the problem and its potential solution remain a salient part of the election conversation.
While making a case for the expansion of polling units in the country, Okechukwu Ibeanu, the National Commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Nigeria’s official election body, made it known that voter turnout in the country had dipped 17 per cent between 1999 and 2019.
“But, compare that to Ghana, between 2019 and 2020 voter turnout actually rose by 17 per cent. We think that this is strongly correlated with the number of voters per polling unit,” he explained. “If you look at the Nigeria situation during that same period, the number of voters per polling unit, increased by 217. Conversely, for Ghana, it decreased by 91 voters.”
What The Numbers Say
Following what has been described as the biggest revolution out of Africa in the 21st century, the #EndSARS protests, INEC organized by-elections in Lagos state, a city grossly affected by the protests. According to the election body, less than 9 per cent of the total number of persons with Permanent Voter Cards (PVC) participated in the exercise. Of the 1,168,790 voters possessed PVCs in the five local government areas comprising Somolu, Epe, Ibeju-Lekki, Ikorodu and Kosofe making up the Lagos-East Senatorial Zone, only 104,894 voters participated in the election. Of the 11 states where by-elections were held on December 5, eight of them, Lagos, Imo, Katsina, Borno, Plateau, Bayelsa, Kogi and Cross River, recorded low-voter turnout.
Further research made by the Sweden-based International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA) support Ibeanu’s claim. In 1999, the voter turnout was 52.26 per cent, representing 30,280,052 total votes and 57,938,945 registered voters. In 2003, voter turnout increased to 69.08 per cent, with 42,018,735 total votes and 60,823,022 registered voters. In 2007, 57.49 per cent was the voter turnout, while 35,397,517 and 61, 567,036 were the total votes and registered voters respectively. In 2011, voter turnout stood at 53.68 per cent, with a total vote of 39,469,484 and 73,528,040 registered voters.
In 2015, voter turnout shrank to 43.65 per cent and a total vote of 29,432,083 and 67,422,005 registered voters recorded. The voter turnout for the 2019 presidential election was 34.75 per cent; total votes grossed 28,614,190 from 82,344,107 registered voters.
While INEC has referenced its polling issue as the main reason for Nigeria’s growing voter apathy, it is important to note that while it does pose a major problem, voter apathy in Nigeria is influenced by a wider range of factors.
This story is part of our new series on Nigeria where we analyse electoral and political reform in the country ahead of the next general elections in 2023.
