Young Nigerians Losing Faith in Electoral Process

Ahead of the 2023 election, Prodigy Dan, a young Nigerian, encouraged his peers to register for Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) but became disillusioned after witnessing long queues and his preferred candidate's loss. A Campus Reporter survey of 222 university students across 34 institutions found that 52.1% were not registered to vote, with 59% of respondents aged 18 to 21 lacking registration.

The survey identified issues such as lack of transparency in elections, stringent registration procedures, and limited youth representation in politics as significant barriers to participation. The most cited factor encouraging voting was “greater transparency,” supported by 31% of respondents.

Other factors included easier voter registration, improved voter education, and reduced election violence. Emmanuella Balogun, a student at Kwara State University, did not register due to distrust in the electoral commission, while Glory Eze cited electoral violence and ineffective governance as her reasons for abstaining.

Kemisola Aboluwade expressed disillusionment with elected representatives failing to fulfill campaign promises.