By Chibuike Nwabuko
ABUJA (PRECISSE POST) – Former federal lawmaker that represented Kaduna Central Senatorial District in the red chamber, Shehu Sani, has raised concerns over the South-East’s low voter registration figures, describing the situation as a serious political issue for the region and questioning the factors responsible for the disparity
Sani, in a post on his X handle on Saturday, said the region’s position at the bottom of the national voter registration figures could be attributed to poor mobilisation or the migration of eligible voters to other states where they reside.
“The South East has the lowest number of registeredu voters in the country. This is a serious political issue for the region,” he wrote.
He suggested that the situation could mean that many people from the region either registered to vote in other states or were not adequately mobilised and enlightened on the importance of voter registration.
The former lawmaker contrasted the situation with that of the North-West, which he said had the country’s lowest literacy rate but the highest voter registration figures.
“The North West is the lowest in literacy rate and the highest in voter registration. A thought for political scientists,” Sani added, challenging researchers and political analysts to examine the factors behind the contrasting trends.
His remarks triggered reactions on social media, with some users arguing that the South-East’s figures should be understood in the context of the migration of people from the region to other parts of the country.
An X user, @Davounprince, argued that a significant proportion of voters in states outside the South-East were people of Igbo extraction who had registered in their places of residence.
The user claimed that Igbos accounted for 40 per cent of registered voters in Abuja and Lagos, more than 45 per cent in Rivers State and over 50 per cent in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State.
The user further claimed that more than 48 per cent of Igbos lived outside the South-East, arguing that their registration in other states partly explained the region’s comparatively low figures.
According to the commenter, voter registration should not be treated as the sole measure of a region’s political relevance, warning that a governance system driven by ethnic considerations and voting strength could undermine national unity.
“If nepotism and ethnic biases are the measure of governance, then we are doomed. Good governance is all that matters,” the user wrote.
Another commenter, @AbumOnyeIgbo, similarly argued that the migration of people from the South-East to other parts of the country should be considered in interpreting the region’s voter registration figures.
The user claimed that about 45 per cent of Igbos lived outside the South-East and maintained that their participation in elections in their states of residence contributed to the figures recorded elsewhere.
The commenter also expressed the view that electoral malpractice should not be allowed to influence election outcomes, predicting that the All Progressives Congress would suffer electoral setbacks if elections were conducted credibly.
Precise Post recalls that the reactions highlight broader questions about voter registration, population movement, political mobilisation and the relationship between electoral strength and political representation in Nigeria.
While Sani’s remarks focused on the need to explain the South-East’s low registration figures, the responses underscored the importance of examining voter migration and the effectiveness of voter education campaigns when assessing regional participation in the electoral process.
