The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has dismissed claims that Nigerians have lost faith in elections, describing such narratives as propaganda without proof.
Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, Mr Rotimi Oyekanmi made the statement on Sunday night. He said the surge in the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise tells a different story.
According to him, the enthusiasm, particularly among young Nigerians, is proof that citizens have not given up on voting and INEC.
“The evidence is overwhelming. On the very first day the CVR portal went live, 69,376 Nigerians pre-registered in just seven hours. Within one week, over 1.3 million had signed up. By the fifth week, more than 5.3 million citizens had uploaded their details. There is no African country that has recorded such figures within a month,” he said.
Oyekanmi emphasised that the Electoral Act 2022 requires all online applicants to complete the process in person, and within the first month, 764,695 Nigerians did so – either completing their online pre-registration or registering physically.
He stated that these figures debunks the myth of voter apathy and expose critics of the Commission as politically motivated.
“Some of the loudest voices attacking INEC are the same people clamouring for us to take over local government elections. They cannot continue to walk on both sides of the road,” he said.
Citing the 2023 general elections as proof of INEC’s reforms, Oyekanmi said that the exercise produced the most diverse National Assembly since 1999, with seven political parties winning Senate seats and eight securing representation in the House of Representatives.
“The Commission has made significant improvements to the electoral system. The 2023 general election, more than any other election, demonstrates this fact. The election produced the most diverse National Assembly since the restoration of democracy in 1999. In the Senate, seven political parties won varying numbers of seats, comprising APC-59 seats, PDP-36, LP-8, NNPP-2, SDP-2, APGA-1 and YPP-1.
“Similarly, eight political parties won seats in the House of Representatives. They include APC-177, PDP-117, LP-35, NNPP-19, APGA-5, ADC – 2, SDP-2 and YPP-2
“For the Governorship elections, APC won 16 States, PDP-10, LP-1 and NNPP–1. In fact, nine political parties won seats in the State Assemblies. They include APC-533, PDP-355, LP-38, NNPP-29, APGA-20, YPP-8, SDP-7, A-1, and ADC – 1.
“The recent bye-elections also show that Nigerians have kept faith with the electoral process. Only a credible electoral process could have delivered that level of competition,” he said.
He further stated that nine political parties now occupy seats in State Assemblies, while the results of recent bye-elections confirm that Nigerians are still willing to test their choices through voting.
