According to the reports, it is estimated that there are 206,159,589 people in Nigeria, and according to reports, there are 109,810,327 people over the age of 18 in Nigeria. To put differently, there are 109,810,327 people eligible to vote and exercise their political rights. According to statistics from Independent Electoral Commission, INEC, the total number of people with their voter’s card is a little above 90 million. You might think it is fair but let me show you were voters apathy is evident in Nigeria. The recently concluded gubernatorial election in osun state; according to reports, the state has over 1,955,657 registered voters but surprisingly, just a little over 800,000 turned out on the election day. Not even close to half of the total registered voters. The problem with the political structure of Nigeria is not with her citizens collecting their voters’ card but her citizens neglecting their political responsibilities.
Democracy is a system of government based on the preferment of the citizens. By implication, the whole structure of this system of government, democracy, is built on the people. In primary schools, we were taught that the bedrock of democracy is the people. The people are one essential pillar of democracy, i.e, without the people, democracy cannot stand. The people give impetus to democracy. How can democracy be what it should be when the people are politically apathetic.
Apathy can be defined as complete lack of emotion, motivation, interest or enthusiasm. The word has its source in Greek simply denotes ‘without feelings’. Therefore political apathy simply means disinterest of people towards electoral activities. According to the Guardian newspaper, in the 2019 gubernatorial election in Lagos state, the winner, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu won by 739,445 votes. Whereas a total number of 6,570,291 voters registered for the election, the overall number of voters that took part in the poll was not up to a million. Very disheartening for a country that claims to practice a system of government of the people by the people and for the people!
This dangerous trend requires alacritous attention by all stakeholders in our polity. This political menace has great adverse effect on the prospect of democracy in the country. In Nigeria, we often hear people say “politics is a dirty game” and they don’t want to soil their hands by indulging or having anything to do with it, but this set of people do not care to consider the other side of the coin- what if they can actually change this so-called dirty game to a fair one by participating in it and doing the right thing instead of leaving it in the hands of those that they think make it dirty. If democracy wouldn’t really be democracy in Nigeria, we the people must own the process from the beginning to the end.
Moving on, a great number of reasons contribute to political apathy in our domain. Many a person believes that elections in Nigeria are predetermined such that electorals’ votes do not count. Some others are discouraged from exercising their political right because, they believe that electoral process in Nigeria is violent and they thereby disassociate themselves from the country’s politics scene and prioritise their survival and security. However, regardless of whether the reasons aforementioned are genuine or not, it is counterproductive for people to shun polls in a democratic state like Nigeria. Active participation in political process signifies that everyone is a critical stakeholder and have the best interest of the country at heart.
In light of the foregoing,I will like to encourage my readers and Nigerians at large to desist from this political menace that affects the prospect of democracy in our dear country, Nigeria. The future and betterment of our country is in our hands if only we put the right persons in power. Irrespective of our political choices in term of party and political candidate, if we fail to participate in electoral process, it’s all a waste. I will also like to inform my readers and Nigerians at large that “every vote counts”. Therefore every rusty sense of illicit imagination or mentality that votes do not count or elections are predetermined should be discarded. If votes don’t count, politicians won’t pay citizens money to buy their votes, or spend huge sum of amount on campaigns and publicity to win our interest and votes. What’s more, I will also like to remind my readers and Nigerians who might have forgotten that next month, is another opportunity to do it right and be in charge of the process from the beginning to the end as electorates.
The fate of our dear country for the next four years or more depends on we, the people.
To round off, there is a particular verse in Buga by Kiss Daniel and Tekno that goes thus ” hey, don’t sleep no sleep, wake up, collect your money…”. I will like to use this verse to tell my fellow Nigerians to wake up from the slumber of political apathy and seize their political rights (in Kiss Daniel’s words, to “collect your money”). How long are we going to keep running away from our political birthrights? Another opportunity is here again! The 2023 general election is coming up next month as mentioned earlier, we are saddled with the responsibility of deciding the fate of Nigeria again. This, we must all do if we are going to birth the Nigeria of our dreams for us, and unborn generation. So, let us come out and take control what is rightfully ours!
