The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, has drawn attention to what he described as a major but often overlooked cause of low voter turnout in Nigeria’s elections, saying thousands of eligible voters are unable to cast their ballots because of election-day duties.
Yilwatda made the remarks at the first quarterly meeting of registered political party leaders and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) at the Commission’s national headquarters in Abuja. He said election officials, security personnel, journalists, civil society observers, medical workers and other essential staff deployed to ensure credible polls are effectively disenfranchised on election day.
According to him, these citizens are later wrongly counted among those accused of voter apathy, even though their absence from polling units is a consequence of national service. He said the situation calls for urgent policy reflection, particularly on the long-debated issue of early voting.
Responding, INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan, SAN, said while early voting had been considered, it posed serious operational, cultural and trust challenges. He warned that warehousing votes cast ahead of elections could expose the process to abuse and undermine public confidence.
Amupitan also cited the high cost implications of conducting nationwide elections in a single day, noting that it would require nearly double the electoral materials currently used.
Yilwatda urged stakeholders to balance inclusivity, credibility, cost and electoral culture in efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s democracy.
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