Voter apathy, money politics endanger Nigeria’s democracy — IPCR

The Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution and Search for Common Ground have warned that voter apathy and the monetisation of politics pose grave threats to Nigeria’s democratic survival.

The agencies noted that the challenges confronting Nigerian democracy stem largely from inadequate citizen participation and weak democratic culture rather than flaws in democracy itself.

The Director-General of the Institute, Dr Joseph Ochogwu, and the Director of Programmes at Search for Common Ground, Gift Omoniwa, raised the alarm on Thursday in Abuja at a joint press conference with Search for Common Ground to commemorate Nigeria’s 2026 Democracy Day.

Ochogwu specifically said findings from the Institute’s Strategic Conflict Assessments and field-based interventions consistently revealed that pressures on Nigeria’s democratic system were linked to underlying deficits in civic engagement rather than to democracy as a concept.

“Many of the challenges confronting Nigerian democracy today are not necessarily failures of democracy itself. Rather, they stem from inadequate citizen participation, weak democratic culture, limited civic knowledge, voter apathy and declining engagement in electoral and governance processes,” he said.

He warned that when citizens withdraw from democratic processes, space is created for manipulation, exclusion, misinformation, electoral malpractice and instability.

“Where citizens understand their rights and responsibilities, participate actively in elections and public affairs, and hold institutions accountable through lawful means, democratic processes tend to be more peaceful, credible, inclusive and legitimate,” the IPCR chief said.

On voter apathy, Ochogwu identified declining trust in institutions, fear of electoral violence, misinformation, unmet governance expectations and the widespread perception that individual votes do not influence political outcomes as the key drivers of disengagement.

He said the consequences were severe for democratic governance.

“Voter apathy undermines accountability, weakens the legitimacy of elected governments and creates opportunities for manipulation and the capture of democratic processes by narrow interests,” he said.

Ochogwu called on Nigerians, particularly young people, to reject apathy and actively engage in electoral and governance processes, stressing that citizens must begin to see elections not merely as periodic political events but as the primary means through which they exercise sovereignty and hold governments accountable.

On the monetisation of politics, the Director-General described it as a systemic driver of citizen disenfranchisement, warning that it was effectively shutting large segments of the population out of meaningful democratic participation.

“When political participation is increasingly influenced by money, large segments of the population are effectively excluded from meaningful participation. Where the gap between the rich and the poor is wide, the dominance of money in politics further restricts opportunities for ordinary citizens to contest, participate and influence governance,” he said.

He noted that the problem also ran deep within political parties, where financial considerations often shaped political outcomes, and called for collective action to address the distortions.

Ochogwu further identified terrorism, banditry, transnational organised crime and violent extremism as enemies of democracy, warning that they undermine governance, hinder development and erode public confidence in state institutions.

Also speaking at the event, Omoniwa raised concern over the vulnerability of Nigerian youth to recruitment by violent extremist and criminal groups, describing it as one of the greatest threats facing the nation.

“One of the greatest threats facing our nation today is the potential recruitment of vulnerable young people into violent extremist and criminal groups. While Nigeria already faces significant security challenges, there remains a large population of young people who, if not meaningfully engaged and empowered, could become targets for recruitment by violent actors,” she said.

Omoniwa said Search for Common Ground had deployed innovative approaches to counter the threat, including a reality television programme designed to showcase alternatives to violent extremism and amplify stories of youth resilience and positive engagement.

She reaffirmed the organisation’s commitment to working with government institutions, civil society and communities to promote peace, social cohesion and democratic governance.

Ochogwu closed his remarks by urging Nigerians to remain hopeful, citing President Bola Tinubu’s Democracy Day appeal.

“Democracy is bigger than any individual. Democracy is not about one person; it is about all of us. It requires collective responsibility, shared commitment and continuous engagement,” he said.

Nigeria has maintained uninterrupted civilian democratic governance since 1999, making the current democratic dispensation the longest in the country’s post-independence history.

However, that stretch has been consistently shadowed by concerns over electoral integrity, low voter turnout, political violence and the outsized influence of money in politics.