BEYOND VOTER REGISTRATION: WHY NIGERIANS WANT ASSURANCE THAT THEIR VOTES WILL TRULY COUNT

 

For many years, voter education in Nigeria has largely focused on informing citizens about how to register for the Permanent Voter’s Card (PVC), how to collect it, and how to mobilize voters to come out on election day. While these steps are important, they are no longer sufficient. Nigerians are asking deeper and more fundamental questions: Will my vote truly count? And if it does, how can I defend it?

The real challenge confronting voter participation in Nigeria today is not a lack of awareness about voter registration or election dates. It is the growing distrust in the electoral process and in the ability of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to ensure that votes cast at polling units are accurately reflected in the final results.

Citizens Want More Than Mobilization: They Want Protection of Their Votes

Citizens are eager to know what happens after they cast their votes. They want clear, practical information on how their votes are counted, transmitted, collated, and declared. More importantly, they want to understand how they can actively defend their votes within the law through vigilance, reporting irregularities, and monitoring results at polling units.

Defending the vote does not mean violence or confrontation. It means empowering citizens with knowledge: understanding result sheets, observing counting procedures, documenting results, and knowing lawful channels for reporting misconduct. Without this knowledge, voters feel powerless, and voter turnout continues to decline.

INEC’s Responsibility: Guaranteeing That Votes Count

INEC has a critical role to play beyond organizing elections. It must actively reassure Nigerians that their votes matter and that every valid vote cast will be protected. This assurance must go beyond press statements and promises. Nigerians want to see clear explanations of:

• How votes cast at polling units are safeguarded from manipulation
• How results are transmitted manually and why not electronically
• How discrepancies are detected and addressed
• What consequences exist for electoral officers or political actors who compromise the process

INEC must also openly acknowledge gaps observed in previous elections and explain the concrete steps being taken to address them. Transparency builds trust, and trust is the foundation of electoral participation.

Bridging the Trust Deficit

The truth is that Nigerians have, over the years, done their part. Citizens register, collect their PVCs, queue under the sun and rain, and cast their votes in good faith. Unfortunately, INEC has often not lived up to the high expectations and responsibility placed on it by the Nigerian people. This gap between effort and outcome has bred frustration, apathy, and disengagement.

What citizens want now is simple but powerful: assurance, backed by action, that their votes will count. They want to see demonstrations of transparency — timely uploading of results, open access to polling unit data, swift correction of errors, and accountability for wrongdoing.

The Way Forward

If INEC can convincingly demonstrate that votes cast at polling units truly reflect the final declared results, voter confidence will rise. When citizens believe in the integrity of the process, Continuous Voter Registration (CVR), voter education, and electoral participation will naturally improve.

Nigeria’s democracy depends not just on laws and institutions, but on trust. Nigerians are earnestly waiting for INEC to rise to the occasion, restore confidence in the electoral process, and reaffirm the simple democratic promise that every vote counts.

 

Dr. Bright Oniovokukor
Indomitable Youths Organization