Yiaga Africa report of the National Voting Intentions Survey Round (NVIS 1) has revealed that regional disparities in voting intentions in South- South (29 percent) and South- East (25percent) have the lowest enthusiasm of voting ahead 2027 general elections.
According to the report, North- West (67 percent) and North East (45percent) show the strongest interest of voting.
The Executive Director, Yiaga Africa, Samson Itodo during the policy roundtable and public launch of Yiaga Africa’s National Voter Intention Survey report in Abuja, said incidentally, the regions (North West and North East) with high voting intentions expressed huge security concerns and fear of electoral violence as impediments to participation.
He said 77 percent of respondents indicated they were likely or very likely to vote in the 2027 general elections, showing high interest to vote .
He further noted that this strong desire to vote was hampered by widespread fears about safety, with 42 percent of respondents citing fear of violence as their primary barrier to participation.
According to him, this tension between democratic aspirations and security apprehension defined the current electoral environment.
He said the challenge for 2027 was ensuring that the 77 percent who wanted to vote could actually do so safely and with confidence in the process.
He said although 76 percent of Nigerians believed their vote could influence election outcomes, only 45 percent expressed confidence in INEC’s ability to conduct credible elections.
“Distrust in INEC is highest in southern Nigeria, especially in the South-South and South-East, while trust is higher in the North. This differential trust patterns could influence perceptions of election credibility in the 2027 elections,” he said.
He urged INEC to improve the integrity and accuracy of the voter register through timely revalidation of voter registration records and clean-up of the voter register.
He further urged them to conduct targeted confidence-building initiatives in the South-East and South South zones and also urged them to popularize electoral reforms designed to enhance the integrity of the electoral process.
Also, the National Chairman of the Inter Party Advisory Council (IPAC) Dr Yusuf Mamman Dantalle said IPAC was concerned about the declining voter turnout as witnessed in recent elections.
