Nigeria’s youthful population and this 2023 general election

Francis Ikuerowo Featured, Politics 24/02/2023

According to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Nigerian youths constitute the highest number of registered voters who will cast votes in the 2023 general election.

Among the registered voters are 26m students, almost double the next populated class: 14.7m farmers and fishermen, as well as 37m voters aged 18-43; and closely following these numbers are the middle-aged (35-49yrs) with 33.4m voters.

Although this statistics seems to suggest that the youths are largely responsible for whatever happens on Saturday. This is not true. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says 87,209,007 permanent voter cards (PVCs) have been collected across the country.

How many of these youths took out their time to collect their PVCs? The number of registered voters is not always equivalent to the number of holders of Permanent Voters Card.

However, February 25 carries a monumental opportunity to chart a new course for a new Nigeria. But if it takes another route, no longer can the youth say “our leaders have failed us”.

But looking at the turn of events, especially past elections in Nigeria very closely, one can see that election is not solely decided by the youth. The political, ruling class and INEC (its power to conduct free, fair, and credible polls) are other determining factors. There are general electoral malpractices such as vote buying, fake ballot papers, manipulation of votes, artificial scarcity of electoral materials, underage voting, and thuggery, etc. If these electoral malpractices are curtailed, then one can say that the youths decide.

Shall we shy away from voting because of electoral malpractices?

Even though these electoral malpractices persist, youths cannot because of the threats of violence decide not to vote. Recently, Dr Wole Oladapo, a communications lecturer and researcher at the University of Ibadan, aptly commented on, and summarized, the concerns of most Nigerian voters.

“My fear is that if we decide not to vote because it is not safe to vote, won’t it continue to be unsafe because we decide not to vote? At what point will the terrors in power decide that they have had enough of their misrule? Or what external force is capable of reversing that trend as long as we ‘remain’ a democracy (if we’ve ever been one)?”

“I’m equally hopeful about what technology can offer in terms of election safety. With the progress that INEC made in the past few years, I believe we can conduct a free, fair, and credible election. However, to have the technological wherewithal is one thing, to actually do it is another.”

“Our problem has never been that of ability, but of will and commitment to do what is right.”