New survey suggests Nigerian undergraduates may remain politically apathetic in 2027

More than half of the Nigerian university students surveyed had not registered for the voter cards required to cast a ballot, pointing to continued apathy among young voters ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The Campus Reporter youth participation survey covered 222 students across 34 tertiary institutions. It found that 52.1% had not obtained Permanent Voter Cards, or PVCs. Only 36% said they would certainly vote in 2027, while 22.1% said they were likely to do so.

The gap was especially pronounced among respondents aged 18 to 21. As of June 30, 59% of that group had not registered for voter cards. The Independent National Electoral Commission later extended the Continuous Voter Registration deadline beyond July 10 before closing registration on July 26.

Young Nigerians form the largest age-based voting bloc. Those aged 18 to 34 accounted for 39.65% of eligible voters in the last general election, but overall turnout has fallen across recent election cycles, from 53.7% in 2011 to 43.7% in 2015, 34.75% in 2019 and 28% in 2023.

Survey respondents identified greater transparency as the most common measure that could encourage them to vote, with 31.5% selecting it. They also pointed to simpler registration, stronger youth representation, better voter education and less election violence. Dissatisfaction with previous election outcomes has also weakened some young Nigerians’ confidence in voting.