Chair of the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) Election Analysis Centre, Professor Victor Adetula, has expressed concern that despite a reported 98 percent voter card collection rate, voter apathy and low competitiveness may affect turnout in Saturday’s elections.
Speaking on ARISE News on Friday, Adetula said the centre’s analysis shows that the enthusiasm around the polls does not necessarily guarantee participation at the ballot.
“Despite the fact that INEC has reported that more than 98 percent of registered voters have collected their PVCs, we have concerns about voter apathy,” he said. “Even though there seems to be general enthusiasm about the election, we have seen a low level of competitiveness, and political parties have not demonstrated the capacity to mobilise people.”
He added that while the increased number of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) collected might appear encouraging, previous elections suggest this does not always translate into a high voter turnout.
“It is not likely that the significant increase in the number of people who collected their PVCs will translate to a high turnout tomorrow,” Adetula cautioned. “Another level of concern is that some people are still unwilling to come out, though no incidents have been reported, possibly due to the massive deployment of security agents.”
On the reported deployment of 45,000 security officers, the CDD chair warned that such heavy presence, while necessary for safety, often leads to the over-concentration of resources in specific areas.
“This is not unusual, especially in by-elections,” he said. “The tendency is that all resources will be deployed to one location, not only by security agents but also by politicians. The resources across the political contest will be concentrated in that location. This again is a cause for concern.”
He urged institutions responsible for regulating conduct during elections to “scale up to their responsibility” to ensure transparency and fairness.
On the distribution of election materials, Adetula noted that reports reaching the CDD indicate that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and other relevant agencies are prepared.
“We have drawn attention to concerns, and we are fully on ground monitoring,” he said. “There have been no negative incidents so far, and INEC has assured us that by 8 a.m., all polling stations will have received the necessary materials. We take their word for it, and we are monitoring.”
Commenting on INEC’s new initiative to deploy sign language interpreters for voters with disabilities, Adetula welcomed the move but noted that its impact would only become clear after the polls.
“We haven’t seen any of that yet, but we have followed advocacy activities by NGOs,” he explained. “We look forward to significant improvement in the participation of people living with disabilities. The facts will come out more clearly tomorrow.”
The CDD chair concluded that the centre would continue monitoring developments closely while maintaining coordination with other civil society organisations to ensure credible, inclusive, and transparent elections.
Boluwatife Enome
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