Nigeria, Oct. 26 -- Ahead of Nigeria's general elections in January and February 2027, Africa Confidential warns that "turnout in the elections is likely to be even lower than the average 26.7% four years ago. Nigerian voters are among the least enthusiastic in the world.. Out of more than 93.4 million registered voters, 24.9 million total votes were cast. This represented an 8.03-point decline from the 2019 elections and was the lowest voter turnout since Nigeria's return to civilian rule in 1999."

Complaints about "voter apathy" are the staple of Nigeria's electoral commentariat. The numbers and patterns seem to bear this out. In 1999, turnout was 52.3 per cent. Officially, it grew to 69 per cent in 2003; and has fallen since then to 5...