Sowore Breaks Silence on Low Voter Turnout in FCT Council Election

The 2023 presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), Omoyele Sowore, has attributed the low voter turnout recorded in the Area Council elections in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, to the signing of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill into law by President Bola Tinubu.

Naija Blog reports that Sowore made the remarks on Saturday while speaking with journalists at Polling Unit 001, LEA Primary School, Kabusa, in the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC).

According to the human rights activist, many Nigerians have lost confidence and trust in the country’s electoral process, resulting in widespread apathy during elections.

He argued that the recently signed Electoral Act Amendment has further weakened public trust in the system.

“What we have discovered is that more and more of our people are no longer voting, and I think it was made adverse by the newly signed electoral law, which doesn’t give transparency the oxygen it needs because democracy needs one oxygen, that’s trust,” Sowore said.

He explained that once trust in the system is eroded, citizens see little reason to participate in the democratic process.

“The moment trust is lost, people stay at home because there is nothing more voluntary than voting. You take your money, you take your time, and if you feel like the thing is not going to produce the results you want, you don’t leave your house,” he added.

Sowore noted that he and others had warned lawmakers about the potential consequences of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill, stressing that the issue goes beyond activism and concerns the future of the country.

“If you want people to have faith in democracy, you must give them what they ask for, and that is democracy. But I am going around today because this is one of my communities, Kabusa,” he stated.

The AAC chieftain further observed that many Nigerians are more focused on the 2027 general elections than the ongoing FCT Area Council polls.

“This is not the election that is going to be the most important; it’s 2027 that is going to be the real race, and you must arm yourself, not with weapons, but with knowledge, intellect, commitment, and conviction to change the course of history in this country,” he said.

The FCT Area Council elections have recorded relatively low voter turnout across several polling units, with stakeholders expressing varying views on the reasons behind the apathy.