Former President Goodluck Jonathan has decried the abysmal low level of voter turnout during elections in Nigeria, declaring that the country has the lowest among countries he has monitored election.
Since he lost the Presidential election in 2015, ex President has led various election missions to several African countries and beyond.
In January 2024, the Commonwealth appointed Jonathan, as head of its Election Observation Mission to Pakistan’s general elections scheduled for February of the same year.
Earlier this year, Jonathan was in Kampala, Uganda, to lead a joint election observation mission by the African Union, the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) and the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD).
In all the Bayelsa born former President said he has monitored elections in over 14 African countries and even in South East Asia, but lamented that he has never seen the type of voter apathy in Nigeria elsewhere.
Addressing a crowd of supporters who visited him in his office and asked him to contest the 2027 Presidential election, Jonathan stressed the importance of patriotism, peace, and active youth participation in the electoral process.
He said, “I have observed election in about 14 African countries and some more than two times and some countries in South East Asia. Nigeria has the lowest turnout in elections in every election cycle.
“We have the lowest voter apathy, it seems people are not even interested in their elections. We have the least, I have never been to a country with the lowest numbers that we have. INEC needs to study it and find out what is wrong, what is the cause, and do something about it.”
He asked young Nigerians to get their PVC and be involved in the election, saying, “you must be patriotic, you must partake in the electoral process.”
He called on the young people to obtain their voter cards and get fully involved in politics
