The people have cited several instances where the judiciary has been helpless in safeguarding their votes. However, I shall deal with this separately in another column, as several factors account for this.

Sponsorship of unqualified candidates and the failure to disqualify them: it is now the norm in Nigeria for political parties to sponsor unqualified or incompetent candidates, or fail to comply with the applicable laws, rules, regulations and their own constitutions in the process leading to the nomination of candidates. Where this occurs (as it normally does), the electoral body, INEC, more often than not, would allow these unqualified nominees or products of illegal nomination process to participate in the election. At the end of the day, where the unqualified elements emerge with the majority votes casts, the judiciary intervenes to declare them illegal and votes casts in their favour becomewasted votes. A voter that has put himself through the process of participating in the voting process only to see everything go to naught would lose faith in the system and be encouraged to stay away next time. That is an example of how apathy sets in. In some cases, the disqualified candidate could be the choice of the people, but the electorate that voluntarily cast their votes for him become victims of a system that allowed the unqualified person to enter the ballot. Why vote when your vote can be regarded as wasted vote? Noteworthy also is the sponsoring of incompetent hands by the frontline political parties. Where a potential voter discovers that virtually all the candidates are disasters, he would rather choose not to participate in the process than unleash danger on society. I have equally agitated this point in one of my columns, where I advocated the reinstatement of power of disqualification by INEC, with the necessary safeguards.

Location of voting centres/polling units: Another factor that may be responsible for voter apathy is situating voting centres at points that are not easily accessible to voters. In some states in Nigeria, the electorate require a 30-minute walk in order to cast their votes. Not every eligible voter will be willing to do this. In fact, the rich that need exercise to stay fit and for whom such a walk would have been beneficial do not see the sense in walking 30 minutes in order to cast their vote. It is, therefore, important for INEC to ensure that, in every nook and cranny of Nigeria, no voter will have to walk for more that five minutes to cast his vote. Ancillary to this is the fact that the complexities of the voters’ registration process caused desperation in some persons to register miles away from their residence. On election day, these persons are unlikely to take the long trip to their voting centres in the name of voting for a candidate. This group of eligible voters constitutes a fraction of the 65% that did not vote at the 2019 presidential election and are still not likely to vote in future elections. Further, location of voting booths in dangerous and hostile environments equally discourages a sizeable number of potential voters from voting.

Lack of democratic dividends: When people vote at elections, they are choosing the persons that would represent them in government. They have legitimate expectations that government (constituted by their elected representatives) would act in their best/common interests. However, the disappointment of discovering that the best interest of the people is not the primary consideration of elected representatives and that the latter only see their political offices as instruments of unjust enrichment at the expense of the people cause the people to wonder why they voted in the first instance. The fact that corruption among elected officials has become the norm and the inability to point to meaningful social and infrastructural development in society plays a major role in the enthronement of voter apathy. This is particularly so in view of the fact that the average Nigerian has his own perception of what goes on in government. Where the government chooses to be dedicated to serving the people, the people will dedicate their time to protecting the government and ensuring continuity of the service through the ballot box.However, where there is no experience of democratic dividends, the willingness to participate in voting vamooses.

Misuse of the military and other security apparatus: The involvement of gun-wielding military men as well as officers of other gun-bearing security agencies in elections in Nigeria is now the norm. However, the gulf between the roles they have been deployed to play and the roles they actually play leave much to be desired.Rather than protecting the mandate of the people and ensuring free and fair elections, these security agents turn themselves to willing tools in the hands of politicians. The terrors unleashed by the masked men in Osun and Ekiti states in the year 2014 remain fresh in our memories. Similar experiences abound all over the nation. Military men and other security agents assigned election duties now consider it an opportunity to make money by serving the highest bidder rather than protecting the ballot. In this regard, they will not hesitate to turn their guns on any voter that tries to dissuade them from impeaching the integrity of the electoral process. As counsel in several election petitions in the past, I have listened to several accounts of how soldiers and policemen disrupted peaceful conduct of elections by harming the voters and shooting at them. I have also heard voters vow never to participate in the voting process again due to the uncomplimentary roles soldiers and security agents played in elections: it is better to stay in your house and avoid stories that touch. Even the scary sight of the military men as well as the show of strength often done before election day add to voters’ apathy and in no small measure does this actually portray the kind of society we live in as one below civilisation datum line.

Money politics and godfatherism: ‘Cash-n-carry’ politics is one of the major banes of free and fair elections in Nigeria. The fact that the Nigerian political system has enabled vote-buying and any deep pocket can buy his way into political office makes nonsense of the electioneer process. Apart from the criminal act of actually paying voters for their votes, these politicians suborn electoral officials (from the presiding officer to the top), security agents attached to the units and collation centres, as well as community leaders. They achieve this by paying for the services of these suborned officials. This is public knowledge, and the voters would rather not participate in the voting process than participate and watch their efforts come to naught. Equally linked with this is the role of godfathers. In practically every election in Nigeria, there is one godfather playing the role of a shadow director by determining the outcome of the election, particularly the primary, even before it is conducted. The fact that one individual is able to determine the outcome of the election, irrespective of the wishes of the electorate, is a major cause of loss of faith in the electoral system. The people would rather steer clear of the process when the system has assured them of the futility of their efforts. For further incursion into this subject, you may read further my earlier column of November 7, 2019, “Conspiracy of the masses against the downtrodden” https://www.sunnewsonline.com/conspiracy-of-the-masses-against-the-downtrodden.

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Lack of proper voter education: With the size of INEC’s budget, one would not expect voter education to constitute a factor in voter apathy. Unfortunately, this is not so. In my humble opinion, INEC has performed below par when it comes to voter education. It would appear that voter education exercise of INEC resides more on the INEC website than on the streets where it is actually useful. It is essential to ensure that every eligible voter understands the voting process and the necessity of participating in it. How have we been able to educate potential voters of the nexus between their lives and votes?

You may read further my earlier column  of December 26, 2019, “The missing link: Rejoinder to Niran Adedokun, “https://www.sunnewsonline.com/the-missing-link-rejoinder-to-niran-adedokun. How many Nigerians know that the turnout in the last presidential election was as low as 35%? Well, INEC has done its own bit by putting it in a document that can be downloaded from its website. Shame! Also important is the need to let the voters know the steps INEC has taken, is taking or desires to take in discouraging the causes of voter apathy. I must say that the fact that over 90% of persons that engage in electoral offences are never punished makes an average Nigerian voter wonder if, truly, those misconducts are crimes. Due to the inertia of INEC officials and security agents and, in many instances, their active collaboration in the commission of the so-called offences, one must wonder why they were prohibited in the first place. This is inspite of the fact that the Commission have “the Electoral institute” that ought to compliment the body in the education and enlightenment role.

What this evokes, therefore, is the enforcement of electoral laws, particularly the criminal provisions and sanctions which will not only hold delinquents responsible for their actions but expectedly will deter other persons who see the current situation as one of no consequence. If this is done, confidence building in the electoral process will occur and more people will participate in the process.

Loss of Faith in the Electoral Process: an agglomeration of the foregoing factors and others that have not been identified here create reasonable causes to lose faith in the system. If you do not trust the system, you do not want to touch it even with a ten-foot pole. This loss of faith is the killer of democracy. When the 65% of registered voters either refuse or are unable to participate in the voting process, forgive my vernacular, WAHALA DEY!

In concluding, I believe that voter apathy is not an incurable affliction but can have a terminal effect on democracy. It results in loss of democratic gains and ultimately leads to political decay. As I noted earlier, democracy may cease to be democracy where majority of the people do not participate in supposedly democratic process. Voter apathy can conveniently birth dictatorship because the government produced by the participation ofonly a few may not consider itself responsible to majority that did not have their say. It is, therefore, of utmost importance that the government takes every reasonable step to arrest this undesirable rise in voter apathy. It is a national emergency and must be so treated.

In the same vein, it is the responsibility of every eligible Nigerian to dare the odds and eschew voter apathy. We are adept at armchair criticism and inept at taking action within the precincts of democratic walls. Why must we be contented with letting the minority speak for the majority at elections? This questions our moral right to complain when the government refuses to serve the people. When the elected officials know that the people recognise the power they have and intend to use it where the elected officials fail the people, we can expect the change we desire. The alternative is to prepare ground for the internment of democracy and enthronement of dictatorship.