Prior to a presidential election in February of next year, Nigeria has registered more than 10 million new voters, the majority of whom are young people.
Nigerian voters will choose a new leader to replace Muhammadu Buhari, who is unable to run after serving the maximum two terms permitted by the constitution. In addition to electing senators and representatives, governors will also be chosen.
10.49 million new voters were registered during a year-long process that finished on Sunday, according to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), with 84 percent of them being under the age of 34.
According to INEC statistics, 84 million people were registered to vote in the most recent election in 2019.
Election turnout in Nigeria is normally low, but political observers claim that the nation’s economic problems, as seen by double-digit inflation, as well as increased insecurity, may encourage more citizens, particularly young people, to cast ballots.
Bola Tinubu, a former governor of Lagos state, is running for president against Atiku Abubakar, the leading opponent. Atiku served as vice president from 1999 to 2007.
However, Peter Obi, a former governor of the state of Anambra in southern Nigeria and Abubakar’s running partner in the 2019 elections, has sparked interest among many young people after joining a smaller opposition party and may surprise voters in the 2023 presidential election.
