Political Apathy and Good Governance: The Nigerian 2023 General Election Experience

• In Event: Citizenship, Participation, and Identity

Abstract

The decline in voter turnout, as evidenced by the decreasing participation rates in various elections in Nigeria, particularly during the Fourth Republic, poses a significant challenge to the democratization process, impacting the credibility of elections, legitimacy, and the fundamental principles of popular representation, as highlighted by International IDEA (1999; 2006) and Agu, Okeke, and Idike (2013). The statistics indicate a consistent reduction in voter participation from 52.3% in 1999 to 34.7% in 2019, emphasizing the potential erosion of democratic values. On February 25th, 2023, Nigeria held its general election. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) disclosed the results, revealing that out of the 93.47 million registered voters; only 24.9 million individuals participated, indicating a voter turnout of 26.72 percent (Yusuf, 2023). This marks an 8.03 percent decrease from the 2019 general election, which had a voter turnout of 34.74 percent. This result reveals a high degree of political apathy in the general elections which ultimately impacts good governance in several ways. This study using qualitative approach seek to investigate how political apathy influences the quality of governance in Nigeria's fourth republic, exploring aspects such as transparency, accountability, and citizen participation in decision-making processes. Recommendations were made based on the findings of the study.

Author

• Olusola Olasupo, McMaster University, Hamilton