concluded 2019 presidential election has recorded the lowest turnout of voters in the history of Nigeria, data made available to SaharaReporters have shown.
States such as Abia, Enugu and Ebonyi witnessed the lowest turnout, with less than 30 per cent of their registered voters marking the ballot.
This is in stark contrast to 1999 when 70 per cent of all registered voters turned out to usher in Nigeria’s new democracy.
In 2015, the lowest turnout recorded was about 42 per cent, owing to issues such as voter apathy and the heavy activity of Boko Haram in the North East.
The average, so far, has remained consistent at 34.7%.
However, in the elections, despite continued insurgency, some affected states such as Borno and Yobe, which were affected by Boko Haram attacks on the morning of the presidential and National Assembly elections, surprisingly recorded the highest voter turnout for 2019.
A quick look at results collated so far by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) shows that states with high numbers recorded in 2015 are now turning out low numbers.
This might also be as a result of the initial cancellation of the 2019 polls earlier scheduled for the Febuary 16, 2019, and eventually rescheduled for February 23, 2019.
Also, there have been pockets of violence experienced in some states in the build-up to the 2019 elections.