Survey shows Nigerian students may not vote in 2027

A new survey by Campus Reporter has shown that many Nigerian university students are not ready to vote in the 2027 elections. More than half of those surveyed are not registered to vote.

The Campus Reporter youth participation survey looked at 222 students from 34 universities. It found that 52.1 percent of the students did not register for their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), which are needed to vote.

Only 36 percent of respondents said they would definitely vote in 2027. About 22.1 percent said they were likely to vote.

Since 2015, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has required PVCs for voting in any election.

Young Nigerians are the biggest voting group by age. In the last election, those aged 18 to 34 made up 39.65 percent of eligible voters.

But this survey found that 59 percent of respondents aged 18 to 21 had not registered for voter cards as of June 30. INEC's deadline for Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) was July 10. The commission later extended this deadline and closed voter registration on July 26.

These findings suggest that young Nigerians might stay apathetic about voting in the 2027 elections.

Voter apathy has been a problem in Nigeria for many election cycles. It reached a new low in the last general election.

In 2011, voter turnout was a strong 53.7 percent of the voting population. By 2015, it fell to 43.7 percent. In 2019, it dropped further to 34.75 percent. In 2023, it was only 28 percent.

The survey also showed that low voting among young Nigerians comes from problems with procedures, digital access, trust issues, and lack of information.

The most common reason students said would encourage them to vote was greater transparency, with 31.5 percent picking this option.

Other reasons included an easier voter registration process, more youth in politics, better voter education, and less election violence.

For some young Nigerians, disappointment with past election results has made them doubt the voting process.