The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has attributed the decline in youth representation on Nigeria’s voters’ register ahead of the 2027 general election to changes in the age categories of previously registered voters.
INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan (SAN), gave the explanation earlier today, November 3, during the grand finale of the commission’s Campus Debate at the Law Theatre of the University of Abuja.
Amupitan said young Nigerians currently account for 29.79 per cent of the voters’ register under review, compared with 39.65 per cent recorded during the 2023 general election.
He explained that the difference did not necessarily indicate declining interest in elections among young people, as many voters who fell within the youth category in 2023 had since moved into older age brackets.
“Some questions have been asked, why has the number reduced compared to what we have in 2023? But the truth of the matter is that there has been progressive migration of the categories of persons that were youth in 2023, they have now migrated into different age groups,” Amupitan said.
He added that the current voters’ register was still undergoing review through the claims and objections process.
During the 2023 general election, Nigeria had 37,060,399 registered voters aged between 18 and 34, representing 39.65 per cent of the 93.4 million registered voters.
The INEC chairman said the campus debate was organised as part of efforts to address voter apathy among young Nigerians and improve their understanding of the electoral process.
“Our plan is to catch them young,” he said.
Amupitan recalled that previous engagements with students had exposed gaps in their knowledge of electoral matters, including their inability to identify the commission’s chairman.
“When they ask who is the INEC chairman, unfortunately none of them could get it,” he said.
The University of Jos emerged winner of the competition, which focused on the theme, “Nigeria’s Electoral Process and Democracy”.
Bayero University, Kano, finished second, while the University of Ibadan and the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, placed third and fourth respectively.
Amupitan, an alumnus of the University of Jos, praised the standard of the debate and commended the judges for what he described as a fair verdict.
He said the judges spent considerable time calculating the scores to ensure accuracy, with the assistance of technology.
The INEC chairman also joked that the result was so clear that none of the participating universities should consider challenging it in court.
He directed the commission’s Director of Voter Education and Publicity to maintain contact with the finalists, adding that he would have offered them automatic employment if the law permitted.
However, he noted that the students would first have to graduate and complete the National Youth Service Corps programme.
Amupitan also defended the commission’s electoral performance, listing four off-cycle elections conducted since he assumed office: the Anambra governorship election, the February Federal Capital Territory area council elections, the June Ekiti governorship election and the August Osun governorship election.
He said the Anambra and Osun governorship elections, which had previously ended inconclusively, were concluded under the commission’s supervision.
On women’s participation in politics, the INEC chairman said the commission had a gender and inclusivity department but acknowledged that Nigeria lacked legislation guaranteeing equal representation of women in political offices.
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