With the Continuous Voter Registration, CVR, exercise, coming to an end, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, is struggling to convince many eligible residents of Niger State to obtain their Permanent Voters’ Cards, PVCs.
DAILY POST investigation reveals that beyond logistics and insecurity, many residents have simply lost faith that their votes will count.
Only a handful of people were waiting to register when DAILY POST visited the INEC office opposite the Niger State House of Assembly Quarters in Minna.
Inside the office, registration officials attended to prospective registrants, but there was little sign of the crowd expected in a state with more than 2.6 million registered voters.
Outside, there were no long queues or the usual rush associated with election activities. Instead, only a few prospective voters trickled into the registration centre.
The scene was striking.
In recent weeks, INEC had intensified efforts to increase voter registration in Niger State.
Its Resident Electoral Commissioner, REC, Dr. Oliver Tersoo Agundu, personally visited markets to mobilise residents, while religious leaders, civil society organisations, youth groups and government officials were enlisted to encourage eligible citizens to register.
The Niger State Government also joined the campaign.
Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Abubakar Usman, described voter registration as both a constitutional right and a civic responsibility, urging traditional rulers, religious leaders, women groups, community organisations and educational institutions to mobilise eligible residents to register, transfer their voter details or replace lost Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs).
Yet, despite the sustained awareness campaign, many residents remain reluctant to participate.
DAILY POST investigation across parts of the state found that while distance to registration centres, transportation costs and insecurity continue to discourage many eligible voters, an even bigger challenge is emerging- a growing belief that elections no longer reflect the will of the people.
For many residents interviewed, obtaining a PVC has become less about exercising civic responsibility and more about questioning whether the process is worth the effort.
A Quiet Registration Centre, A Loud Message
The low turnout at the registration centre reflected a wider trend that has continued to trouble INEC despite weeks of intensified voter sensitisation across Niger State.
Although the commission has engaged traditional rulers, religious leaders, youth groups, civil society organisations and political stakeholders to mobilise eligible voters, many residents are yet to take advantage of the exercise.
Interviews conducted by DAILY POST suggest that the reasons go beyond the availability of registration centres.
For some residents, the cost of transportation and long waiting hours remain major obstacles. Others point to insecurity, while many simply say they have lost confidence that their votes will count.
Their stories reveal that the challenge confronting INEC is not merely increasing registration figures, but rebuilding public trust in the electoral process.
‘I Went Twice and Gave Up’
For Asabe Musa, a farmer and trader from Shiroro Local Government Area who regularly travels to Minna to sell okra and garden eggs among others, getting a PVC has become more frustrating than fulfilling a civic duty.
“I went there twice in my area and spent long hours waiting, but I could not complete my registration. I don’t think I will go again,” she told DAILY POST.
Her experience mirrors the frustration of many prospective voters who say repeated delays and long queues have discouraged them from returning to registration centres.
In Chanchaga Local Government Area, several residents complained that a registration point that once served the area was no longer operating, forcing them to transport themselves to the INEC office located at the David Mark road Tunga, Minna to complete the exercise.
For many, the additional transportation cost has become another obstacle at a time when households are already battling rising living expenses.
Others complained that the online self-service registration platform introduced by INEC did not work for them, saying repeated failed attempts eventually discouraged them from trying again.
Some residents who registered months earlier also expressed frustration that they were yet to receive their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), raising concerns over the delay in card issuance.
The complaints, however, extend beyond logistics.
‘What Will INEC Pay Us?’
As economic hardship continues to bite, some residents told DAILY POST they now see little reason to spend scarce resources travelling to registration centres.
During conversations with prospective voters, one question came up repeatedly.
“If we go and register, what is INEC or the government going to pay us?” one resident asked.
Although made in passing, the remark reflects a growing mindset among some residents who believe immediate economic survival outweighs civic participation.
For many, the cost of transportation, time away from work and long hours at registration centres have combined to reduce enthusiasm for the exercise.
Yet, for others, the biggest problem is not money or access, it is trust.
Over 60-year-old Kehinde Akin said he may still register before the deadline, but not because he intends to vote.
“I will just register and keep it, not for voting, but for some other things,” he told DAILY POST.
Asked why he had never obtained a voter’s card despite being eligible for decades, Akin said he no longer believed elections reflected the wishes of the people.
During a heated argument with some friends over the issue, he insisted: “Will the votes count? I don’t see that happening in Nigeria.”
Recalling his childhood in Osun State during Nigeria’s Second Republic, Akin said he witnessed electoral malpractice at an early age, an experience he said has shaped his perception of the country’s elections ever since.
“It has been a long time since Nigerians’ votes didn’t count,” he said, adding: “will the votes count? I don’t see that happening in Nigeria.”
His views were echoed by Bernard, another resident who claimed.
“Rigging is on the higher side, so what do you expect? The same things that happened before will still happen”.
Mrs. Patience also questioned the value of participating in elections.
The mother of five asked, “What is the use of coming out to vote when it will not count?”
For these residents, the decision to stay away from voter registration is no longer driven only by distance or delays. It is rooted in a deep loss of confidence in the electoral process itself.
Youths Losing Faith
Among young people, the crisis appears even deeper.
When contacted, the Chairman of the Niger State Youth Council (NSYC), Ambassador Abdullahi Mohammed Ishaq, said many youths have become disillusioned with the country’s political system, while insecurity has further limited participation in the voter registration exercise.
According to him, communities classified as “red-flag” areas because of persistent bandit attacks have been short-changed and marginalised, leaving thousands of eligible youths unable to participate fully in the electoral process.
He identified Borgu, Mashegu, Agwara, Rafi, Munya and Shiroro among others as the local government areas where insecurity continues to discourage voter registration.
Ishaq explained that many of the youths currently turning out for the exercise are persons displaced by banditry and terrorism who are updating or transferring their voter records after relocating to safer communities within Niger State.
The NSYC chairman explained that many indigenous youths in the affected communities still do not have PVCs, while transportation costs and the absence of nearby registration centres continue to discourage many from registering.
He also attributed the poor turnout to weak telecommunications services in some rural communities, saying the destruction of telecommunications masts by armed groups has made the online registration platform difficult to access.
“When I ask some youths about their PVCs, they simply tell me, ‘Na ma san inda PVC na ye ke?’ (Do I even know where my PVC is?) Some are not ready to register,” he said.
Ishaq urged INEC to extend the deadline for the exercise to August, as well as voter mobilisation to vulnerable communities, insisting that unless those living in insecurity-hit areas are deliberately targeted, many eligible youths would remain excluded from the democratic process.
The Youth Council chairman also appealed to civil society organisations to intensify engagement with political parties and community leaders to encourage greater participation before the close of the exercise.
Some youths interviewed by DAILY POST in Bosso, Chanchaga, Tunga, Maitunbi, Kpakungu areas of Minna among others, admitted they had no intention of registering because they lacked confidence in the electoral process.
“I know I am old enough to vote,” stated 20-year-old Awal, stressing, “but with or without my vote, those running the system will still bring whoever they want. What will the youth benefit from it?”
Nineteen-year-old Rashida shared a similar view.
“With the way things are going, what is the need for a PVC? It looks like the system already favours one side. I don’t see the point,” she said.
Women Bear the Burden
For many women, the challenge is less about political apathy than the demands of everyday life.
Joris Musa of the Women and Youth Initiative for Awareness (WAYMA) said long waiting hours at registration centres have discouraged many women, particularly those from rural communities.
According to him, some women in Shiroro Local Government Area spend an entire day or two at registration centres only to return home without completing the exercise.
“The process takes too long. Many women have children and businesses to attend to. After waiting all day without success, some simply refuse to come back,” he argued.
For these women, obtaining a PVC is not only a test of civic commitment but also of time, patience and financial endurance.
INEC Responds
The concerns raised by residents are not new to the electoral commission.
Responding to complaints over delayed issuance of PVCs, the Niger State REC, Dr. Oliver Tersoo Agundu at a meeting with stakeholders, explained that cards for newly registered voters would only be produced after the close of the CVR exercise on July 26.
According to him, the PVCs currently available for collection are those left unclaimed from previous elections, while applicants who requested transfers would receive their cards at their new registration locations after the process is completed.
Agundu also dismissed claims that the online self-service registration platform was malfunctioning.
“The online platform is working perfectly. Once applicants follow the required procedures using their National Identification Number (NIN), the process is seamless. Problems usually arise when people try to cut corners,” he insisted.
On concerns that insecurity could disenfranchise many eligible voters, particularly Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), the REC said the commission was already working with security agencies to ensure no one was left behind.
He disclosed that INEC had visited heads of security agencies across the state as part of efforts to develop strategies that would guarantee a safe and inclusive electoral process.
According to him, “We are looking at different modalities to ensure they are covered during the election. We are working with security agencies to make sure people can come out and vote safely”.
Agundu acknowledged that voter registration figures in Niger State were disappointing when he assumed office as the REC .
Despite the state’s population and vast landmass, the REC observed that the number of registered voters was far below expectations and even lower than neighbouring Kogi State.
According to him, the commission immediately embarked on extensive consultations with traditional rulers, religious leaders, civil society organisations, youth groups and political stakeholders to reverse the trend.
The efforts, he said, have begun to produce encouraging results.
Agundu said the commission’s renewed stakeholder engagement had begun to yield results.
According to him, while only 9,597 people registered during the first phase of the exercise, the figure rose steadily in the subsequent phases, surpassing 60,000 by the third phase as of the time he spoke with journalists.
“We are now doing better than Kogi and Benue states, but we have not reached where we want to be. People are responding, but there is still a lot of work to do,” he maintained.
He added that with 2,688,344 registered voters recorded during the 2023 general election, INEC hopes to push the figure to about 2.8 million before the registration exercise closes.
Agundu, however, said political parties also have a responsibility to mobilise eligible supporters, insisting that voter sensitisation should not be left to INEC alone.
He also criticised some civil society organisations that participated in observing the 2023 general election but failed to submit reports afterwards.
“We need feedback. You cannot participate in election observation, disappear after the exercise and return during another election without telling us what you observed,” he said.
Political Parties Rally Supporters
Responding to the concerns raised by INEC over low voter registration, political parties insist they are making efforts to mobilise eligible voters across the state.
A member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Board of Trustees representing Niger State and the party’s Niger North (Zone C) senatorial candidate, Hon. Yahaya Ability, said the party had embarked on grassroots sensitisation across the state.
According to him, party leaders have been moving from one community to another, encouraging eligible residents to take advantage of the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration exercise.
“As I am talking to you, I have been moving round communities in the Kontagora axis mobilising our people, and the same applies to other parts of the state,” he told DAILY POST.
The State Coordinator of the Renewed Hope Ambassadors in Niger State, Ambassador Mohammed Nma Kolo, also urged residents to register before the July 26 deadline.
He described voter registration as a critical civic responsibility and called on members of the All Progressives Congress (APC), as well as other eligible citizens, to register, update their records, transfer their voting locations where necessary and replace lost or damaged Permanent Voter Cards.
“Our vote is our power,” he said, urging members of the group to intensify grassroots awareness campaigns across the state.
Can Confidence Be Restored?
For political scientist, Hamza Mohammed, the challenge confronting voter registration in Niger State goes beyond logistics or access to registration centres.
He argued that many Nigerians have lost confidence in the electoral process because successive governments have failed to fulfil their campaign promises, leaving citizens disillusioned.
“As long as people believe their votes do not matter, they will continue to lose interest in participating in elections,” he said.
Hamza added that while political leaders must demonstrate greater accountability to rebuild public trust, the electorate also had a responsibility to reject transactional politics and hold leaders accountable beyond election day.
For many residents interviewed by DAILY POST, the challenge is no longer simply registering to obtain a PVC. It is believing that the card will ultimately make a difference.
Kehinde Akin, who had reflected on Nigeria’s elections throughout his conversation with this reporter, summed up that sentiment in a few words.
“I may still register, but not because I want to vote,” he declared.
His words capture the biggest challenge facing Nigeria’s electoral process ahead of the 2027 polls.
