NOA RAISES ALARM OVER ELECTION VIOLENCE, VOTE BUYING, DECLINING PUBLIC TRUST
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By:Tajudeen Aminat
The National Orientation Agency (NOA) has identified electoral violence, vote buying, misinformation and declining public trust as major factors undermining Nigerians’ confidence in the country’s electoral process.
The Director of Civic, Values and Democracy Education at the NOA, Olukemi Afolayan, stated this on Thursday in Abuja during an election roundtable organised by Create Studio Nigeria and the Humanitarian Foundation for Social Justice.
The event, themed “Reclaiming Our Vote: Enfranchising a New Generation of Voters,” focused on voter participation, civic responsibility and ways to strengthen public confidence in Nigeria’s democratic process.
Afolayan said the growing perception among some Nigerians, particularly young people, that their votes had little impact on governance was contributing significantly to voter apathy.
She noted that declining trust in the electoral system, coupled with misinformation, vote buying and election-related violence, had created serious challenges for democratic participation.
According to her, restoring public confidence was crucial to reversing voter apathy and encouraging citizens to actively participate in elections.
Afolayan said, “Reclaiming our vote must begin with reclaiming citizens’ confidence in the democratic process.”
She described young Nigerians as critical stakeholders in the country’s democratic development, stressing that the nation’s youthful population made their participation essential to the future of democracy.
“Nigeria is a youthful nation. Our young people are not merely the leaders of tomorrow; they are active stakeholders in the Nigeria of today,” she said.
The NOA official explained that empowering a new generation of voters involved more than encouraging citizens to register and cast their ballots.
She stressed the importance of civic education and values reorientation to help voters understand their rights, responsibilities and the importance of their participation in elections.
According to her, citizens must understand not only how to vote but also why their votes matter and how their choices can influence governance.
Afolayan consequently urged Nigerians to reject vote buying and selling, resist misinformation and political manipulation, shun electoral violence and demand issue-based campaigns from political parties and candidates.
She maintained that a credible democratic system required active participation from informed citizens who were willing to hold political leaders accountable.
Meanwhile, a university don, Prof. Ajibade Michael, called for greater opportunities for younger Nigerians to participate in political leadership.
Michael argued that people between the ages of 25 and 70 should have greater influence in determining the country’s political direction, suggesting that Nigerians above 70 should gradually withdraw from active political leadership.
He maintained that younger people were better positioned to understand contemporary challenges and respond to the changing realities facing the country.
According to him, political leadership should reflect the interests and aspirations of younger generations, particularly given Nigeria’s youthful population.
Also speaking, the Executive Director of the Humanitarian Foundation for Social Justice, Adekunle Adebanjo, said the roundtable was organised to bring stakeholders together to examine Nigeria’s democratic journey and identify practical measures to strengthen the electoral process.
Adebanjo emphasised that democracy should ultimately improve the lives of citizens by providing better living conditions, opportunities and accountable governance.
He said, “Democracy is not an end in itself; it is a means to an end.”
The discussions come as Nigeria prepares for the 2027 general elections, with concerns over voter apathy, electoral violence, misinformation, vote buying and declining public confidence continuing to dominate conversations around the country’s democratic process.
Stakeholders at the forum therefore stressed the need for stronger civic education, responsible political leadership and greater citizen participation to restore confidence in elections and strengthen Nigeria’s democracy.
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