The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says that the current system and legal framework— which requires voters to cast their ballots only in their registration area— contributes to voter apathy. This apathy is not unique to Nigeria; it is a global challenge. INEC argues that if everyone involved in elections, including ad‑hoc and permanent staff, security agents, local observers and others, could vote wherever they are on election day, participation would rise significantly.
Local and foreign election observers, political parties, individuals and other stakeholders have expressed concern about voter apathy, especially during the March 18 governorship and state House of Assembly elections. In the presidential election, turnout was reported at less than 30 percent, and many believe it fell even further in several states during the governorship race.
In an interview on Saturday, Rotimi Oyekanmi, chief press secretary to the INEC chairman, noted that voter apathy is a worldwide phenomenon and not limited to Nigeria. Since the return to democracy in 1999, voter turnout has fluctuated between 25 percent and 65 percent. The highest turnouts recorded were 51 percent in 1999, 68 percent in 2003 and 55 percent in 2007. Turnout then fell to 40 percent in 2011, rose slightly to 44 percent in 2015, dropped to 35 percent in 2019 and reached 30 percent in 2023. Consequently, less than half of registered voters have participated in recent election cycles.
Oyekanmi explained that one major obstacle is the law restricting voting to a voter’s registered area. If a person is outside that area on election day, they cannot vote. This rule affects thousands of security officials, ad‑hoc staff, local observers and INEC personnel deployed for elections. He estimated that between two and 2.5 million people on election duty are unable to vote— a number larger than the population of some West African countries. He added that this issue receives little attention.
He suggested that allowing Nigerians to vote at any polling unit they happen to be near would increase turnout, but cautioned that the system must include strong security and accountability measures to prevent multiple voting. While some have proposed electronic voting, Oyekanmi believes that approach also presents challenges.
Addressing comments that voter apathy during the governorship election stemmed from problems in the presidential and National Assembly elections, Oyekanmi rejected the notion that INEC’s performance in the 2023 general election was uniformly poor. He argued that the commission performed well in many areas but fell short in others, noting that the country’s 176,606 polling units span 774 local government areas across 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory. No single accredited election observation team— local or international— covered all polling units, making it misleading to judge the entire election based on observations from a few cities such as Lagos or Abuja.
On the contrary, INEC received impressive reports from several regions, including Osun State, where more than 80 percent of polling units were open by 9 a.m. on the presidential election day.
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