NIGERIA’S plan to woo young voters back to the ballot box is faltering. The proof is obvious in the voter register being updated by the Independent National Electoral Commission. The youth population’s indifference shows in the 10 per cent drop in their registration for the 2023 and 2027 elections. This is ominous for the future, and Nigeria must reverse it by all possible means.
Since 2007, Nigeria has witnessed a calamitous descent in voter turnout, a sign of distrust and disinterest among citizens. In the 2023 general elections, only 27 per cent of 93 million registered voters cast their ballots.
Africa’s most populous country faces a fresh test of its democratic credentials as the youth refrain from registering, let alone voting.
According to INEC Chairman, Joash Amupitan, youth registration declined to 29.79 per cent in the register from 39.65 per cent in 2023. Being 18- to 34-year-olds, this is the most active segment of Nigeria’s demographics. So, this is a portentous implosion.
The 2023 register had 37,060,399 youths aged 18 to 34 out of the 93.4 million registered voters.
The United States Census Bureau reported a voter turnout of 65.3 per cent in the 2024 presidential election. The November 3 midterms recorded nearly 50 per cent. In the United Kingdom, voter turnout in the 2024 general election was 59.7 per cent, down from 67 per cent in 2019.
Amupitan deserves measured commendation for admitting there is a problem. Yet, he fell short of situating the issues at stake, as public officials do.
His argument that the drop in the share of youth registration is linked to their progressive migration into new age groups offers little consolation.
Therefore, INEC’s plan “to catch them young” is a mirage.
Amupitan told undergraduate debaters at the University of Abuja that most youths “know little about (Nigeria’s) electoral process.” He added: “When they asked (them) who is the INEC chairman, unfortunately, none of them could get it.”
This shows the vacuous depth of disinterest, and it is a more tenable argument than the migration one.
Amupitan’s theory on migration to new age groups is flat. Every day, many Nigerians turn 18 and graduate into suffrage. No age group is static. In other words, every age group migrates. So, millions would have crossed this divide between 2023 and 2026.
Therefore, Nigeria should confront its demons head-on.
In 2023, Nigeria’s population was 227 million, compared with 242 million in 2026. This means migration across demographics.
The truth is, democracy is not working for the majority, young or old. According to the World Bank, 140 million Nigerians live below the International Poverty Line. This is spending below $3 (N4,043.4) per day.
The national minimum wage of N70,000 per month is roughly N2,333 per day. It means workers on this wage are doubly poor.
In truth, many eligible youths are not registering. They are not bothered. Registration is cumbersome; it is a strong disincentive. Nigeria must look into this.
At registration centres, the workers complain of a lack of electricity and generators. The queues are suffocating, compounded by poor internet connections.
This is deplorable in the modern age. These days, the Deposit Money Banks issue debit cards instantly. Therefore, INEC has no excuse for the laborious voter registration rigmarole.
Instead, a narrow band of politicians – make that buccaneers – has hijacked the dividends of democracy, leaving most citizens living in desperation.
Poverty has wiped out the middle class. The rich get richer; inequality is deepening.
The political class deceives the people with “stomach infrastructure.” This is the sharing of money and other inducements to woo votes. It has failed to attract them. After each election, voters are worse off.
Take 2007: voter turnout stood at 57.5 per cent but subsequently dropped to 53.7 per cent in 2011, 43.7 per cent in 2015 and 34.7 per cent in 2019.
Therefore, politicians have their work cut out for them to bring back the lost enthusiasm for voting.
First, INEC should simplify things. Registration should be less exacting. On Election Day, it should ensure its logistics are top-notch. Results should be released on time, transmitted immediately to the iREV from the polling unit. The off-season governorship poll in Osun State is a good start.
Many Nigerians believe their votes do not count. So, INEC should add transparency to its profile. Nigerians are likely to vote when the results are credible and seen as such.
Violence discourages voters. It is illogical that despite the deployment of police, military, State Security Service and Civil Defence agents, Nigeria’s elections are prone to violence. This must stop. Without weaponising elections, the security agencies should dictate the pace for peaceful polls.
For the voters, they should register (for the next elections, though), collect their Permanent Voter Cards and troop out to vote on January 16 and February 6, 2027.
The governors and the President should make life better so that citizens will have a sense of belonging to their country.