Over the years, voter apathy in the South East geopolitical zone has continued to worsen. This, analysts say, may affect the chances of the people of the region producing the successor of President Muhammadu Buhari, come 2023.
As it is, top politicians from the region have indicated interest in succeeding President Buhari on the platform of the two leading political parties in the country. In the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), former governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi; former Senate President Anyim Pius Anyim (Ebonyi); Nwachukwu Anakwenze (Anambra); Sam Ohuabunwa (Abia); Cosmos Ndukwe (Abia); Charles Ugwu (Enugu) and Chikwendu Kalu (Abia) have all indicated interest.
From the All Progressives Congress (APC), the region has Governor Dave Umahi of Ebonyi State, Emeka Nwajiuba, Ogbonnaya Onu, Senator Chris Ngige, Senator Rochas Okorocha and Chief Ikeobasi Mokelu.
But the growing voter apathy in the region has become a source of concern for stakeholders. For instance, the last major election that was conducted in the region was in Anambra State.
With only 10 percent of the registered voters, Prof. Charles Soludo of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) won the Anambra governorship election with 112,229 votes, twice more than his closest rival – Valentine Ozigbo of the Peoples Democratic Party.
The total registered voters in the state were 2,466,638 but only 253,388 voters were accredited for the governorship election. This shows that only 10% of registered voters determined the fate of the state for the next four years.
Chimaobi Ebisike of the PDP was declared the winner in the March 27th, 2021 Aba North and Aba South Federal Constituency by-election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Ebisike polled a total of 10,322 votes to defeat Mascot Uzor-Kalu of the APC who polled 3, 674 votes.
The Constituency returning officer for the by-election, Prof. Felix Obata, announced that the total number of votes cast were 16,017 while 245 votes were rejected, therefore confirming Chimaobi Ebisike of the PDP as the winner of the by-election.
INEC had said a few days before the election that 498,390 voters were expected to cast their ballots in 609 polling units spread across 24 Registration Areas (RAs) in the two LGAs of the constituency during the election.
During the by-election, Daily Trust reported that many INEC ad-hoc staff were seen sleeping, dozing on duty as a result of the low turnout of voters. For instance, at Osusu Hall, Unit 34, only 15 out of 1,239 registered voters voted.
The figures returned for the election wouldn’t be able to elect a ward councillor in most states in other parts of the country. Why are South Easterners reluctant to vote?
Residents of commercial cities in the South East such as Aba, Onitsha, Owerri, Abakaliki, are known to flout the restriction on movement order by the government during elections. Commercial buses and tricycle operators were always on the streets doing their normal business.
Many residents who spoke to Daily Trust described the low turnout of voters for elections in the region as a protest against poor governance, insecurity and the agitation for Biafra.
“Some years ago, someone called for an election boycott and people were quarrelling with him all over the entire media in Nigeria. Today, even without anyone calling for it, I’m ashamed to say that Aba is politically lost.
“From time immemorial, whenever Ndigbo need bloc votes, such votes normally come from Aba and Onitsha. With what was witnessed in 2015, 2019 and now, Aba has gone down,” noted Barr. Kingsley Obi, a voter at Ward-8 Aba South.
He said that low turnout during elections can be hinged on poor governance as the people are not convinced that elected officials would deliver the dividends of democracy. He urged Igbos to wake up ahead of the 2023 elections.
Elder Lewis Eme, a businessman who deals on shoe importation, said, “I don’t blame Aba people at all. What do you expect when a group of politicians have decided to make life unbearable for people?
“I saw a lot of young people playing football in front of my own house on Election Day. If it were before, I’ll instruct them to go and vote because I know they all have their PVCs, but what will be my justification to persuade them?
“Is it payment of salaries or good governance? Imagine politicians begging residents to come out and vote with their bags of money, but people collected the money and went back home without voting.”
Some women at Cemetery market in Aba who spoke with Daily Trust on Sunday , said they don’t waste their time to vote during the general election because they don’t want to risk their lives because of insecurity in the region.
Mrs Njideka Chuma said there have been attacks and explosions at polling units during elections in the South East, stressing that lives were always lost in the process.
“I can’t take such a risk for politicians who have refused to pay my father his pension as a retired teacher. I would rather use the time to look for money and help my family than spend such time at the voting centre for a politician that will take his family abroad after winning, leaving us to suffer untold hardship,” she said.
A tricycle operator, Chidera Ejike, said votes do not count, recalling incidents of electoral malpractices that have characterised elections in his area.
“Anyhow you vote in Abia State, PDP will always win the election, so no need because we already know the winner of the election. I must make returns of five thousand naira every Sunday to the owner of this tricycle, otherwise, I will be jobless. I better look for money than waste my time at a polling unit,” he said.
Another resident, Jude Odoemela, said the Igbos are no longer interested in elections as they have been marginalized and denied opportunities to lead the country.
“We don’t want elections anywhere in Igbo land, we want our freedom. Igbos have suffered marginalization in this country, next year’s election they don’t want an Igbo man to rule, other tribes want to rule us forever and you expect us to vote for them?” he queried.
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