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By Chekwube Nzomiwu
Frankly, it delighted me to hear the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Joash Amupitan, reaffirming the readiness of the commission to re-write Nigeria’s electoral history, by making the 2027 general election, free, transparent and beyond reproach.
Amupitan made this commitment in Lagos last weekend, while speaking during INEC’s Induction and Strategic Retreat for its National Commissioners, Secretary to the Commission, Resident Electoral Commissioners, Administrative Secretaries and Directors of the Commission. The INEC boss reminded members of the commission that the eyes of over 200 million Nigerians and the entire continent are upon them.
Quoting him: “The work is demanding, the hours will be long and the scrutiny will be intense. The 2027 general election must be free and fair and be a watershed moment in Nigeria’s history. But we must even aim higher. I want us to build an institution that is globally recognised. Let it be that under our watch, INEC became the best election management body in Africa-a beacon of integrity, a model of technological efficiency and a fortress of democratic values…”
Sincerely, I think that Amupitan said everything that needed to be said. What remains is action. However, let him bear in mind that Nigerians will hold him to his words. The country cannot afford another flawed general elections in 2027. The consequences could be very grave at this critical period in the life of the nation.
Beyond rhetoric, Nigerians expect the commission to show the seriousness of its commitment with the forthcoming council election in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja in February and the off-season governorship elections in Ekiti and Osun states later in the year. One of the major challenges facing elections in Nigeria, which INEC must address, starting from the forthcoming elections, is the issue of voter apathy.
In simple terms, democracy is government by those that the people elected through a free and transparent election. In most democracies, the right to vote in an election is extended to virtually all adult citizens (18 years and above). This right to vote is known as universal adult suffrage.
Unfortunately, over the years, elections in Nigeria have been characterised by voter apathy, especially since the commencement of the Fourth Republic in 1999, after a prolonged era of military rule. The voter apathy in Nigeria is attributed to several factors, including bad governance, religious affiliations, political violence and lack of trust in the election management body, to mention but a few.
Thankfully, Amupitan undertook to tackle this cankerworm, destroying the Nigerian electoral process, on the day of his screening by the Senate in October. After the Senate screening and subsequent confirmation, his first major assignment was the November 8, 2025 off-season governorship election in Anambra State. Addressing a press conference at INEC Headquarters in Abuja before the election, Amupitan identified voter apathy as the greatest enemy of Anambra’s election.
As predicted by the INEC boss, on the day of the election, despite the increase in voter registration, the voter turnout remained low. Out of 2,788,864 registered voters in Anambra state, only 598,229, representing 21.4 percent, were accredited to vote. Nonetheless, this marked an improvement from the 10.3 percent recorded in 2021.
Honestly, I do not think that anybody will blame Professor Amupitan for the low turnout during the November 8, 2025 Anambra governorship election, considering that he assumed office less than a month before the election. However, he should know that the honeymoon is over.
If there is low turnout of voters in subsequent elections, the blame will partly go to the INEC Chairman. I used the word “partly” because INEC alone cannot tackle the endemic problem of voter apathy in the country. The other stakeholders in the electoral process, particularly the political parties, have a big role to play. Nevertheless, it is the job of the commission to galvanise the political parties and other stakeholders into action, to ensure that elections record substantial turnout of voters.
One of the immediate steps I think INEC should take is to make it mandatory for political parties to have directorates in charge of voter education and mobilization. Political parties do not exist only to nominate candidates for elections. One of their key functions is voter education and mobilization.
I do not see the reason why a political party should have two deputy chairmen, assistant secretary and assistant this and that, and yet, it does not have an officer in charge of voter education and mobilization. This should not be.
The election management body should therefore find a way to compel political parties to appoint or elect officers in charge of voter education and mobilization. A regulation could be made by INEC, mandating the officers in charge of voter education and mobilization in the political parties to brief the commission periodically on their activities.
The political parties are better positioned than INEC and other election stakeholders to reach the voters. They have structures at the national, state, local government and wards levels, and even in some cases, the polling unit level. These structures should be used to educate and mobilise voters for elections.
Also, I suggest that INEC should unbundle its department of voter education and publicity and create a dedicated department for voter education and mobilization, which will work closely with directorates of voter education and mobilization in the political parties. Voters are central to elections. Voter education is too critical to the electoral process to be lumped together with publicity, which encapsulates media and public relations.
Under the existing arrangement, we often hear about the Director of Voter Education and Publicity in INEC, when they respond to media enquiries, regarding the position of the commission on the incessant intra-party crises rocking many political parties in the country. Amid widespread voter apathy in the country, very little is heard about the voter education arm of the directorate.
Periodically, the directorate announces the commencement of the continuous voter registration exercise. On the day of election, very few of the registered voters come out to vote, as a result of inadequate voter education and mobilization.
A dedicated department for voter education and mobilization in INEC will definitely re-direct the attention of the commission towards mobilization of voters for elections. That is, if the department is adequately empowered by the commission to enable it engage in massive intensive and integrated media campaigns, through the mass media and social media, geared towards improving substantially, the turnout of voters in the country.
The situation where less than a quarter of over 93 million registered voters in Nigeria, voted in the 2023 general election, calls for concern. The last presidential election in Ghana won by President John Mahama, recorded a voter turnout of 60.9 percent.
The failure of voters to come out en masse to vote during elections in Nigeria, seriously undermines, not only our electoral process, but entire democracy. If the turnout of voters is low, the outcome of the election may not truly reflect the wishes of the people.
In an article published in International Journal of Current Science Research and Review Nwambuko, Njoku, Chukwunenye and Omiunu and Funmilayo (2024), identified several consequences of voter apathy in Nigeria, including violation of human rights, lack of transparency in government, unpopular public policies, low political participation and timid patriotism on national issues. Others are non-adherence to due process, non-adherence to the principle of Rule of Law, politicization of security outfits and a corrupt judicial system.
In conclusion, voter apathy is a threat to democracy in Nigeria. While INEC alone cannot tackle this teething problem in our electoral process alone, it can offer the direction which the political parties and other key stakeholders in the electoral process will follow to achieve the desired goal of very high voter turnout during elections in Nigeria.
• Dr. Nzomiwu MNIPR, a commentator on national and international issues, writes via [email protected]
