Why UN is Concerned about Nigeria’s Voter Apathy

The Story
The UN Electoral Needs Assessment Mission has expressed concern over voter apathy ahead of Nigeria’s 2023 general elections.

Isn’t it too early to worry about that?
During its meeting with the leadership of the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) on Tuesday, the UN mission, led by Mr. Serge Gakwandi Kubwimana, raised the concern over the level of voter participation in previous elections in the country. In his welcome address, the National Secretary of IPAC, Yusuf Dantalle, also noted that the success of the elections will be a defining moment for democracy in Nigeria.

How do they plan to fix these concerns ahead of the elections?
Kubwimana said that the UN Mission will render technical assistance by strengthening the capacity of the relevant organs for the election. On its part, IPAC said it would counter the apathy by embarking on massive sensitisation, advocacy, enlightenment and mobilisation of the electorate at grassroots level across the country.

Scrap State Electoral Commissions
As part of reforms of the electoral process in Nigeria, the IPAC leadership said it would work with the National Assembly for the scrapping of State Independent Electoral Commissions (SIECs), which it said have been turned into instruments of state governments in carrying out predetermined outcomes in local government elections.