On Saturday, February 25, Nigerians across the country went to their polling units to cast their votes for their preferred candidates in the country’s presidential and national assembly elections.
As the elections progressed during the day, Nairametrics gathered that there was a high voter turnout in several polling units in Abuja, Ekiti, Anambra, Enugu, Edo, Kano, Lagos, and several other states.
The high voter turnout recorded is a positive sign for the election as it shows that citizens are engaged and interested in the democratic process, despite the lingering fuel crises that are mostly related to costs in several states as well as the Naira scarcity.
The fuel crises context: Voters came out in their numbers to vote despite encountering fuel crises, especially in states apart from Lagos and Abuja. Earlier in February 2023, Nairametrics reported that in Enugu state, fuel was selling for as high as N280 to N400 per litre in filling stations.
In its petrol price watch report recently released, the National Bureau of Statistics stated that the average retail price paid by Nigerians for fuel as of January 2023 was N257.12, showing a 54.52% increase relative to the value recorded in January 2022 at N166.40.
During this period, Imo state had the highest average retail price for fuel with N332.14, followed by Rivers with N327.14 and Akwa Ibom with N319.00 per litre.
However, Nairametrics gathered that many voters cast their votes in polling units close to their homes, so many walked to their polling units without needing to drive or use public transportation.
Moses Ogunsanya, a digital marketer, told Nairametrics that he cast his vote within an estate where he lives in Lagos state between 9 to 10 am on Saturday. It was a short distance walk for some, but not the same for others. Chidinma Ezeh, a soilless farmer, and agricultural consultant, based in Ekiti state, told Nairametrics that she had to walk 30 minutes to her polling unit to cast her vote between 9 to 10 am on Saturday.
Tega Obruche, who cast her vote in Port Harcourt, told Nairametrics that her polling unit was moved and she only knew about this when she got to the polling unit, which she thought was hers. Obruche decided to drive to her new polling unit because it was quite a distance for her, but she had a full tank of fuel in her car to ease her movement. Nairametrics had previously reported that some Nigerians stocked up on fuel for the election weekend.
Nairametrics also saw some posts from Nigerians on Twitter recounting how they walked to their polling units to ensure their votes were cast regardless of delays and other issues.
The Naira scarcity context: The Labour Party polling agent for Nyanya Area E, Ungwan Bawa Primary School under the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), told Nairametrics that no one at the polling unit complained of the Naira scarcity. He said voters were only interested in casting their votes for their candidates.
He added that the turnout was high, even though Nigerians are currently battling the unavailability of cash, which has made trading at open markets difficult for a good number of people.
What you should know: A peaceful conduct of elections as well as a transparent collation of results are essential for Nigeria’s democratic process, and all stakeholders involved need to work towards ensuring that the 2023 elections are indeed free, fair, and credible.
