Defining Minimum Threshold of Voters Turnout before Declaration of Winners in Elections in Nigeria

Abstract

Nigeria has one of the lowest rates of voter turnout in Africa. Voter turnout declined from over 69% in the 2003 general elections to 35% in 2019 and further to 26.72% in 2023. This is against over 70% consistent voter turnout in Rwanda, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Liberia and Burundi.1 The low level of voter turnout in 2024 gubernatorial elections in Edo and Ondo States has further sparked a debate around what should constitute the minimum voter turnout in an election in Nigeria before a winner is officially declared. This is against the backdrop that low voter turnout and voter apathy has the tendencies to question the legitimacy of the elected officer. In this brief, we argue that there is the need for the National Assembly to revisit the issue of minimum threshold for voter turnout before an elected officer can be officially declared a winner. We conclude that setting a minimum threshold can make a difference in entrenching Nigeria’s democracy and legitimacies of elected officers. The followings are recommended: • That there is the need to initiate a discussion on the floor of the National Assembly to debate minimum voter turnout requirement/thresholds in Nigeria’s elections; • That Electoral Act 2022 may be reviewed to include specific thresholds requirement/rules for a minimum voter turnout as obtained in the Italian and Serbian system to concretise democratic participation in Nigeria. • Institutionalise post legislative scrutiny (PLS) to improve service delivery at local levels across the country to ignite active participation of citizens in elections.