Voter turnout not low in Nigeria — there are just too many registered ghosts, says Jonathan

Former president Goodluck Jonathan says the issue with voter turnout in Nigeria is that there are too many ghost voters on the electoral register.

Jonathan spoke on Tuesday in Abuja at the YIAGA Africa reflection conference on democratic elections in West Africa.

The former president said West Africa has made significant strides in its democratic journey in the past few decades amid several challenges.

He said despite the introduction of the bimodal voter accreditation system (BVAS) and INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal during the 2023 general election in Nigeria, and the use of technology in Sierra Leone in 2023, there were logistical issues, technical glitches, and allegations of irregularities during the polls.

He said Ghana, however, conducted successful elections “despite the use of limited 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 system, 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 said in Liberia, Senegal, and Ghana where there was a high voter turnout and smooth transition of power, there was public enthusiasm for democratic participation and consolidation.

He said in countries with superior technology, electoral processes trigger more agitations, legal battles, and political tensions.

The ex-governor said this underscores the place of human element in deepening democratic roots.

Jonathan recalled the technological advancements in Nigeria’s electoral process, from when there was no 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.”

GHOST VOTERS

Jonathan said for elections in Nigeria to be free and fair, the heads of electoral commissions must be credible.

“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.

The former president also said he believes that “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.