The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has dismissed claims that Nigerians have lost confidence in the nation’s electoral process, describing such assertions as a “myth” not backed by evidence.
In a statement issued on Monday, the Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, Rotimi Oyekanmi, said recent figures from the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise prove otherwise. According to him, the level of participation, particularly among young Nigerians, shows a strong faith in the system.
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Oyekanmi noted that the online pre-registration portal, which went live at 8:30 a.m. on August 18, recorded 69,376 entries within its first seven hours. By August 24, just one week later, 1,379,342 Nigerians had pre-registered online.
“By September 1, only two weeks after launch, the online portal had attracted 2,532,062 registrations. By September 21 the figure had risen to an impressive 5,385,060 Nigerians,” he said.
The spokesman added that physical registration also gained momentum once it commenced on 25 August. Within the first week, 72,274 citizens completed their applications, while by the fourth week, a combined 764,695 Nigerians had finalized the process either through online completion or fresh in-person registration.
Oyekanmi argued that no African country has recorded such high registration figures within a single month.
He further pointed out that the 2023 general election provided clear evidence of growing diversity in Nigeria’s democracy, producing what he described as the most pluralistic National Assembly since 1999.
“In the Senate, seven political parties secured seats: APC with 59, PDP with 36, Labour Party with 8, NNPP with 2, SDP with 2, APGA with 1 and YPP with 1. Similarly, eight political parties won representation in the House of Representatives, with APC claiming 177 seats, PDP 117, Labour Party 35, and NNPP 19, among others,” Oyekanmi stated.
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For the governorship races, he noted that APC secured 16 states, PDP won 10, LP took 1 and NNPP also secured 1. At the State Assembly level, nine political parties earned seats, further underscoring Nigeria’s electoral competitiveness.
Oyekanmi stressed that by-elections held since 2023 have also demonstrated citizens’ commitment to the ballot box, despite criticisms directed at INEC.
“Ironically, some of our fiercest critics are the same voices demanding that Local Government elections be transferred to INEC. Surely, they cannot continue to walk on both sides of the road,” he remarked.
INEC insisted it remains committed to strengthening electoral integrity and ensuring that Nigerians’ confidence in the process continues to grow.
