A few more days to the March 18 Governorship/House of Assembly elections, Femi Falana, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), has bemoaned voter apathy in the 2023 elections, calling the police to engage relevant stakeholders to address the issue.
Voter apathy occurs when electorates show a lack of interest in participating in elections.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) reports that 93.4 million Nigerians have registered to vote in the 2023 elections. 87.2 million of the total received their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs).
On election day, however, around 25 million voters turned out for the Presidential/National Assembly voting on February 25, a circumstance Falana described as the elephant in the room.
In a statement released today, the human rights lawyer questioned why tens of millions of Nigerians chose to shun the national elections.
“This trend of conspicuous voter apathy has been the elephant in the room which all the contenders in the post-February 25 debate seem to be ignoring,” he said.
“The fundamental question for politicians of various hues in Nigeria is this: why did tens of millions of voters across Nigeria shun the elections? The explanation does not lie in spreading prejudice by any side of the debate. Scapegoating any group will definitely not provide the answer.
“In order to diffuse the growing tension, the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Idowu Owohunwa held a meeting with community leaders and the human rights community a fortnight ago. At the meeting, the Lagos State Police Command assured Lagosians of the security of every person in the State.
“It would indeed be helpful if similar fora could be held in other states for the police to engage various stakeholders and communities before the March 18 elections.”
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