How to Not Waste Your Vote

Since its return to democratic rule in 1999, Nigeria has enjoyed uninterrupted democracy. The nation has conducted six successive electoral cycles. These elections, however, are occasionally flawed and often marked by violence. Additionally, a constant issue that has beguiled the process of electing leaders is the issue of low voter turnout and voter apathy. Registered voters in Nigeria are not up to half of the total population. Of the registered voters, the number of actual voters on election day has barely been above 50 per cent on average since 1999. Since 2007, the turnout of voters has seen a steady decline, with the 2019 election seeing the lowest turnout on record (34.7 per cent). In 2019, only a meagre 28.6 million votes were cast despite 84 million eligible voters. The winner, President Muhammadu Buhari, was re-elected with just over 15 million votes in a country of about 200 million citizens.