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By Adebola Williams
Just two years to the 2023 general elections, and activities in the Nigerian political communities – candidates, political parties, voters, media, and others, are beginning to witness an upswing.
It has become commonplace to see that every banter online and offline mostly tends towards politics, particularly, who is more likely to lead the nation after President Muhammadu Buhari has completed his second term.
One thing is for sure: millions of Nigerians are likely not going to show up to vote – not even for their preferred candidates on election day. While voters depend on elections, and then the government, to create equality and incremental socio-economic transformation and legitimately create an environment that will allow them to exercise control over political and economic activities that affect them, voter apathy in Nigeria, especially as shown by the middle class, has consistently been an issue.
Unlike other countries where the middle class has significantly participated in advancing democratic governance, studies have shown that their non-cohesiveness in the developing world creates more problems than solutions.
Recent data indicate that Nigeria’s voter turnout hovers between 30% – 35% (across all elections). This is abysmal, especially compared to the average from our West African neighbours, who record a turnout between 65% – 70%.
The violence of the middle class
Here is the truth: voter apathy has become a threat to our democracy, and solutions can only be provided by those with the resources to do so.
Since the nation’s return to electoral democracy in 1999, Nigerian elections have been characterised by a rising level of disinterest where voting is considered optional. A small percentage of registered voters actually vote — an affront to the idea of ‘majority rule’ which is a basic tenet of democracy.
Instead of a majority rule, minority rule is what operates in Nigeria because out of a population of almost 200 million, there are 82.3 million registered voters. In the 2019 elections, a mere 28.6 million (35% of the registered voters) voted.
Studies indicate that the typical excuse for election apathy borders on [their] distrust among the majority of Nigerians for the electoral process, complaint about lack of credible candidates to vote for, and heightened insecurity during election season.
Based on these, most Nigerians choose to let the country…
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