Voter turnout not low in Nigeria, there are just too many registered ghosts - Former President, Goodluck Jonathan

 Former President, Goodluck Jonathan has attributed Nigeria’s voter turnout issues to the presence of too many ghost voters on the electoral register.

 

Speaking on Tuesday, February 25, at the YIAGA Africa reflection conference on democratic elections in West Africa, held in Abuja, Jonathan highlighted the challenges facing electoral processes in the region despite advancements in technology.

 

Jonathan acknowledged that West Africa has made significant progress in democratic governance but noted that logistical issues, technical glitches, and allegations of irregularities persist. He referenced Nigeria’s 2023 general elections, which saw the introduction of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal, as well as the use of technology in Sierra Leone’s elections. However, he contrasted these with Ghana’s elections, which he described as successful despite the limited use of technology.

 

“The electoral commission of Ghana and security authorities played a crucial role in ensuring the elections are free and fair, demonstrating that Ghana’s democratic processes have continued to be resilient even with limited technology,” he said. “Two other countries, Liberia and Senegal, also conducted general elections with limited deployment of technology. In these countries, the processes were generally peaceful, transparent, and with a high voter turnout. In some countries, we saw the power of technology in enhancing transparency and accountability. 

 

The use of biometric voter registration, electronic voting systems, and real-time result transmission helped to build public trust in the electoral process. These innovations, where they worked, should be celebrated and replicated across the region. On the other hand, we also witnessed the dangers of political intolerance, hate speech, and the manipulation of ethnic and religious divisions for electoral gain.”

 

Jonathan pointed out that Liberia, Senegal, and Ghana recorded high voter turnout and smooth transitions of power due to public enthusiasm for democracy. However, he noted that in countries with superior technology, electoral processes often trigger more legal battles, political tensions, and disputes. 

 

He emphasized the importance of the human element in deepening democratic institutions, recalling Nigeria’s technological advancements from the absence of a voter register to the introduction of the card reader. “We have migrated above the card reader to the BVAS, which is expected to be more advanced, but the problems are more than when we used the card reader,” he said. “If we look at elections, I think we are progressing our election in terms of the development of technology. While we are progressing in terms of adopting technology, the outcome is retrogressing, and this is not what we expect.”

 

Jonathan stressed that for elections to be free and fair, credible individuals must lead electoral commissions. “If we don’t have this kind of people, then we are in trouble. If you are accepting to be chairman of INEC or to be a commissioner in INEC, then you should be ready that if I’m pressurised to do what is wrong, I will take care of the democratic people,” he said. 

 

He also raised concerns about the authenticity of Nigeria’s voter register, stating, “We have too many ghost voters.” “So whenever the situation is strong, when both parties are strong, and you cannot manipulate the system, then only the real human beings will get the vote. And the real human beings will be left at 50 percent,” he added.