The 2023 Nigerian General elections are underway, and we just witnessed the presidential and national assembly offices contested. Compared to past elections, this has been one of the most anticipated elections, and rightfully so. The country’s dire economic situation over the past few years, particularly the past few months, has triggered and compelled people to participate in the process. People now see the polls as the viable way to make their agitations known, and their voices heard.
Heading to the polls, the nation faced a fuel scarcity crisis that caused panic and pandemonium nationwide. This didn’t just affect private individuals but threatened the existence of several small businesses due to the price hike. People were recovering from the effect of this scarcity when the news of the naira redesign circulated. On top of that, new and urgent dates were set for the mandatory return of the old notes. Sending people into a frenzy and rapidly increasing demand for the new notes at short notice.
These situations made Nigerians more interested in the polls rather than being content with watching from the sidelines. Even more impressive is the massive participation of young people.
The first arm of the elections is done, and there have been different reactions across the nation to the execution of the elections. What are the positives and flaws? What lessons can be learned? What can be improved? Let’s dive in.
THE GOOD
Increased Voter Registration
This year’s election saw an increased voter registration of 11 percent compared to 2019. Continuing the upward trend since 2015. This clearly shows the impact of voter education and sensitization. Plus, an improved interest in good governance and active citizen participation. More and more people are interested in who governs them, seeing as it is a transaction that must happen whether they participate. Citizens realize that the earlier they participate, the better their chances of negotiating the best deal of the social contract.
Massive Youth Involvement
Nigeria’s youth demographic accounts for about 70 percent of the country’s population. And without a doubt, you expect such a number to play a critical role in the country’s economy, projection, infrastructure, and of course, the elections, which are largely determined by numbers. Youth comprised about 40 percent of the total registered voters in this election cycle.
Active Citizen Participation
More than ever, citizens were keen and determined to vote. But not just vote but also protect it. This was one of the key messages of our Project 100 campaign (Get Your PVC, vote, and protect your vote). In times past, seeing how elections have been marred by violence, vote buying, and rigging, it became paramount for citizens to be more involved in the process. Not just vote and return home but stay and protect their votes. And people lived up to the expectation, as seen from multiple videos on the internet where Nigerians patiently waited into the dark hours of the night in some polling units and counted and ensured that the results collated represented the people’s choices.
Largely Peaceful Elections
Irrespective of the pockets of violence reported in different locations, this election seems the most peaceful in recent years. Since Nigeria returned to a democratic government in 1999, over 1,200 people have died in election-related violence nationwide. In 1999, about 80 people lost their lives. In 2003, 100 deaths were recorded; in 2007, the number increased to 300. This peaked in 2011, with about 800 people killed. After 2011, these numbers drastically reduced, with the next two election cycles recording about 250 deaths. Presently, there’s been little to no reports of death related to violence which is highly commendable. However, it is important for security operatives to be on high alert as over 60 percent of election-related killings occur post elections.
THE BAD
Low Voter Turnout
Voter turnout has steadily declined since the 2007 elections (57 percent). The 2019 elections had a 35 percent voter turnout, and with all indications from the present predicament, the 2023 elections were the time when the tide would turn, and for many good reasons. For the presidential elections, the incumbent has served the maximum tenure, and you’d expect this to drive more people to the polls. Not forgetting the economic hardship Nigerians have had to endure in recent months.
Going by the number released by INEC, 24 million people out of the registered 93 million voters voted. This puts the figure at 27 percent. The worst since 2003. As much as numbers are a good yardstick, sometimes, it doesn’t give the whole picture. Specifically, during this election, we saw cases where voters were technically disenfranchised due to the inadequacies of the electoral commission. People reported being unable to vote because the electoral officials got to their polling unit very late. Some reported as late as 3 pm.
Another peculiar challenge the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, complained about was difficulty getting cash to pay transporters to distribute election materials effectively. We also had INEC’s National Commissioner for Information and Voter Education, Dr. Festus Okoye, highlight the difficulty it took the commission to get to some parts of the country. Seeing how election materials are transported from Abuja to different parts of the country days before the elections. This logistics challenge also hindered and disenfranchised some voters.
This then begs the question, is one day enough to run a national election in a country with such vast and difficult terrain as Nigeria? Should the state electoral commission be given the autonomy to run and deliver the election for better and more reaching coverage?
Poor Technology Leverage
INEC’s introduction of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, BVAS, and the iREV portal was another reason why people looked forward to the polls. These technologies reassured the populace that, for the first time in a while, we would have what seemed to be the closest to free and fair elections. The BVAS was supposed to eliminate overvoting, authenticate voters and eliminate malpractice. At the same time, results would be uploaded, transmitted, and published to the iREV portal to guarantee the transparency of the process.
But all through the first bout of the elections, there were several reports of how the BVAS machine failed to work, causing further delays. And up until the time when INEC announced the winner, barely 50 percent of the results had been uploaded to the iREV portal. And for those uploaded, there have been reports of discrepancies with the physical forms used at the polling units. After all the money spent to include these technologies, INEC underutilized them and practically ran the elections on a manual template. Even after gaining autonomy over the whole process.
This also begs the question, was the electronic transmission a facade? Was the introduction of these technologies a sham?
THE UGLY
Violence and Thuggery
Compared to previous elections, where hundreds of people lost their lives, this election has been relatively peaceful except for reports of violence from Lagos, Imo, and other states. In this age and time, you expect violence and thuggery to be a thing of the past. Footages of thugs threatening voters to vote for a specific party surfaced online. In other footage, we see videos of the electoral process being disrupted by thugs and the burning of election materials. Violence and thuggery lead to the loss of lives and properties and disenfranchise people from exercising their rights. And this has been one of the reasons for low voter turnout in previous elections. You wonder why the government and security personnel haven’t nipped this in the bud.
Again, this begs the question, is the security outfit-to-citizen ratio in this country appropriate?
Election Rigging
One of the biggest issues in this election season has been reports of rigging across different states. And this is why INEC’s failure to leverage technology is even more dumbfounding. In 2023, and with the advancement of technology, you expect that people’s voices and votes should count. There have been reports where people recorded the results from their polling units before it was uploaded, and what was uploaded was different or doctored. At the collation center in Lagos, the Labour Party agent reported that the party representative for Badagry LGA was compelled at gunpoint to sign the result sheet.
It again begs the question; can technology eliminate rigging? And is technology immune to rigging and manipulation? Is technology in itself sufficient to eliminate rigging?
Looking forward to the gubernatorial elections next week, INEC must do much to redeem its somewhat lost image. And it can start by ensuring that the technologies deployed work efficiently and serve their purpose. Logistics issues should also be doubled up on to improve timing and eradicate technical disenfranchisement of voters. Regarding thuggery, security outfits should be sent to more volatile areas to ensure people are not deprived of their fundamental human rights.
South Saharan Social Development Organization is a non-profit organization in Nigeria focusing on responding to cross-cutting governance issues across the Nigerian geopolitical landscape.
