What the 2023 turnout tells us
93.47 million Nigerians were registered to vote in 2023. About 24.9 million did. The gap is the biggest challenge for 2027.
In the 2023 presidential election, 93.47 million Nigerians were registered to vote. About 24.9 million cast a ballot. That is a turnout of 26.72 per cent, the lowest since the return to civilian rule in 1999.
A falling trend
Turnout in 2019 was about 35 per cent. In 2023 it fell by a further eight percentage points. No state reached 50 per cent turnout in 2023.
Where people stayed home
Turnout was around 30 per cent in the North-West and North-Central, and 28.63 per cent in the North-East. Every southern zone recorded less than 25 per cent.
Why it matters
Low turnout hands decisions to a small share of the electorate. It also weakens the claim of any winner to speak for the country. Registration is only the first step. The work that matters is getting registered voters to the polling unit, and making sure their votes count when they get there.
That is the work DNP members will do in every state before 16 January 2027.
Source: INEC 2023 presidential election results, analysed by Dataphyte.
