Chart of the Day

#ChartoftheDay: Number of Votes Secured by the Winner and First Runner up in Nigeria’s Presidential Elections (1999-2019)

By Adijat Kareem

February 03, 2022

Since Nigeria’s return to democracy in 1999 no president has won more than 25 million total votes. Political apathy, level of political socialisation, level of modernisation and level of urbanisation are factors that affect voter turnout. In Nigeria, ballot snatching, vote buying and voter intimidation have been identified as drivers of voter apathy.

According to a report by Dataphyte, voter turnout in 2019, the lowest so far since the start of the 4th Republic, is the lowest turnout ever recorded in Africa.