As millions of Nigerians look forward to voting today, there is palpable worry that many who are eager to cast their votes may be disenfranchised due to the lingering cash crisis.
Evidence shows that many prospective voters registered to vote in places far from their place of residence. Returning to such places to exercise their franchise may require cash, which is in acute shortage across the country.
In Nigeria, PVCs are mapped to specific polling units, and voters can only vote if they can make it to the location where their PVCs are registered. Over the years, one of the main causes of low voter turnout, even when voters had their PVCs, has always been if they’re registered to vote in a different state from where they reside. Findings by the SB Morgen Electoral Survey support this claim.
The case study: The SB Morgen Electoral Survey Report asked voters if they are more likely to vote if they are registered in their states of residence. 90% of the respondents answered in the affirmative, out of 92% of the total respondents who had collected their PVCs.
The report said that the states with the highest occurrence of respondents registered outside their states of residence are in Southern Nigeria. In the South East, three states – Ebonyi (35%), Anambra (28%), and Abia (25%) – have more than 20% of their respondents registered outside the states.
In the South-South, three states as well – Rivers (26%), Delta (24%), and Cross River (20%) had at least 20% of their respondents registered outside the state. While only Ogun (31%) has this trend in the South West, Osun (19%) comes marginally close. No state in the North has up to 20% of the respondents registered outside their states of residence.
- Following the closure of the CVR process and PVC collection, the implication is that these respondents from states with such high occurrence would only be able to vote if they choose to travel to the states where they registered to exercise their franchise.
- The SBM study also asked the respondents if they were “planning to go to where you are registered to vote in the 2023 elections?”. Interestingly, 78% of the respondents indicated that they plan to go to the states where they registered to cast their vote during the 2023 general elections.
- The survey further revealed that the financial capacity to travel to vote is a big determining factor in whether many people will travel to vote.
Likely impact of cash scarcity: Note that the findings of this survey were published before the February 10 deadline for the old naira notes to continue to remain legal tender which ushered in the acute cash crunch that has hit every nook and cranny of the country.
With no immediate end in sight to the naira scarcity, Nairametrics conducted a random survey of PVC holders who registered away from their places of residence. Uche Jemba, a resident of Iba Estate, on the outskirts of Lagos, said he registered in Orlu, in Imo State but would find it difficult to get to his polling centre, citing a lack of cash to embark on such a journey.
John Ochonma, also an indigene of Imo State, who resides in Maryland District, Lagos, expressed the same regret. Ochonma said he had looked forward to the election, but would not be able to vote because of the lack of cash.
- “I want to be a part of the process to bring the next president, my choice, to power, but I fear the cash crisis may prevent me,” he said.
Abdulahi, a shop owner and resident of Agege, Lagos, who registered to vote in Kano, told Nairametrics that he will do everything possible to be in Kano before Friday to cast his vote on Saturday. He, however, admitted that as of the time of speaking with Nairametrics, he did not have enough cash to embark on his journey.
Nairametrics also spoke to Paul Atuanyi who recently moved to FESTAC, Lagos. He said he registered to vote in Port Harcourt but is already discouraged from voting, even though he had planned to go back to Port Harcourt to vote. He blamed “lack of cash to travel home” as the reason for his reluctance.
John Smart, though, is more resolute. He says he has already booked his flight to be in Akwa Ibom before Saturday to cast his vote in favor of his preferred candidate. Smart noted that if INEC postponed the election date, he will take part in the exercise because he planned long before now.
Nairametrics also spoke to Atunike, a hairdresser in Abuja, who said she would have loved to be a part of the voting process as this is her first opportunity to vote, but does not have money to travel from Abuja to Lagos and back.
Nairametrics interviewed a few more persons who pled anonymity. They admitted that they live in Lagos, and registered to vote in other parts of the city but would still find it difficult to vote. One said he had not handled up to N2,000 over the last two weeks, expressing wonderment about how he would go from his home in Okota, Lagos, to Ajah, Lagos, to vote.