Insecurity and Voter Apathy in Nigeria: A Study of the 2015 and 2019 General Elections in Rivers State

Abstract

This study investigated insecurity and voter apathy in Nigeria, with specific reference to the 2015 and 2019 general elections in Rivers State. The study examined voters’ responses to political rallies during the pre-election period, voters’ assessment of election security, voters’ responses to the voter registration exercise, and the effect of insecurity on the exercise of franchise and popular will in elections. A sample of 900 eligible voters in Rivers State was selected using stratified and random sampling techniques. The three senatorial districts, namely Rivers East, Rivers West, and Rivers Southeast, constituted the strata, from which three Local Government Areas were randomly selected. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire. Descriptive statistics of frequency, percentage, and mean were used to answer the research questions, and two null hypotheses were tested at the 0.05 level of significance. The findings revealed that there was a significant relationship between insecurity during political rallies and voters’ withdrawal in the pre-election period in Rivers State. The data also confirmed that there was a significant relationship between election day violence and low voter turnout in the 2015 and 2019 general elections. Furthermore, there was a significant relationship between insecurity during voter registration and voter apathy in the State. The study concluded that insecurity significantly undermined electoral participation and deepened voter apathy in Rivers State during the period under review. It was recommended that INEC, in partnership with security agencies, should deploy technology driven voting systems and guarantee the safety of voters, INEC officials, and election materials to restore confidence in the electoral process