Human rights activist and former presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, has attributed the low voter turnout recorded in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Area Council elections to the signing of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill by President Bola Tinubu.
Sowore made the assertion on Saturday while speaking to journalists at Polling Unit 001, LEA Primary School, Kabusa, within the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), where voting was ongoing. According to him, recent changes to the electoral law have further eroded public confidence in Nigeria’s democratic process, discouraging citizens from participating in elections.
He argued that voter apathy has continued to grow as more Nigerians lose trust in the credibility and transparency of elections. Sowore said the amended Electoral Act has worsened the situation by failing to guarantee the level of openness required to sustain confidence in democratic institutions.
“What we have discovered is that more and more of our people are no longer voting, and I think it was made worse by the newly signed electoral law,” he said. “Democracy needs one oxygen, and that is trust. The moment trust is lost, people stay at home.”
He explained that voting is a voluntary civic duty that requires personal sacrifice, noting that citizens often spend their own money and time to participate. According to him, when voters feel the process is unlikely to reflect their will, they are less motivated to leave their homes on election day.
Sowore further stated that the low turnout witnessed during the FCT Area Council elections should not be entirely surprising, as many Nigerians are more focused on the 2027 general elections. He suggested that the council polls do not command the same level of national attention or political significance.
The activist, who is also the publisher of Sahara Reporters, maintained that restoring trust in the electoral process is critical to reversing voter apathy. He stressed that without meaningful reforms that ensure transparency and accountability, public participation in elections will continue to decline.
The FCT Area Council elections have generally recorded low turnout across several polling units, sparking renewed debate among political actors and civil society groups over the credibility of Nigeria’s electoral framework and the need to rebuild voter confidence.
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