VOTERS’ PERCEPTION OF NIGERIA’S ELECTORAL PROCESS: AN X-RAY OF THE 2023 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION

Authors

• Omamurhieme Julia AKPODOVHAN, Fairview Hospital Drive, Okumagba Avenue Warri, Delta State, NigeriaFollow
• Chukwuma Anyanwu Dr, Delta State UniversityFollow

Abstract

In its six decades of post-independence, Nigeria has experienced the best and worst in military and democratic governance fluctuating from one to the other. It has purportedly settled into a democracy but with highly flawed electoral processes. This paper interrogates the February 25, 2023 Presidential election with a view to assessing the perception of voters in the exercise to determine whether there has been an improvement or otherwise in the status quo of how previous elections were conducted. Drawing from historical antecedents, participant observation and opinion poll research techniques, the authors relied on information from five of ten polling booths in Uvwie Local Government Area of Delta State. The findings show that though the conduct of the election was marred by violent skirmishes in some places, the exercise was generally peaceful. Also, results that were released by the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) were at variance with what the people expected based on the results announced in some of the polling units. It was concluded that the 2023 presidential election in Nigeria showed that it is possible for the process to be free, fair, smooth and non-violent, yet the electoral umpire could come up with results which contradict the voting records if those in authority lack honesty and integrity.

Bahasa Abstract

Dalam enam dekade pascakemerdekaannya, Nigeria telah mengalami dinamika pemerintahan militer dan demokratis yang silih berganti, memperlihatkan berbagai keberhasilan sekaligus kegagalan. Meskipun negara tersebut kini diklaim telah menetap sebagai negara demokrasi, proses pemilihannya masih dinilai memiliki banyak kelemahan. Artikel ini mengkaji pemilihan presiden yang diselenggarakan pada 25 Februari 2023 dengan tujuan menilai persepsi para pemilih terhadap pelaksanaan pemilu tersebut serta menentukan apakah terdapat perbaikan dibandingkan dengan penyelenggaraan pemilu-pemilu sebelumnya. Dengan memanfaatkan pendekatan berdasarkan latar belakang historis, observasi partisipatif, dan teknik survei pendapat, penulis menggunakan informasi yang diperoleh dari lima dari sepuluh tempat pemungutan suara di Wilayah Pemerintahan Lokal Uvwie, Negara Bagian Delta. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa meskipun pelaksanaan pemilu diwarnai oleh bentrokan kekerasan di beberapa lokasi, secara umum proses pemungutan suara berlangsung damai. Namun, hasil resmi yang diumumkan oleh Komisi Pemilihan Umum Independen (Independent Electoral Commission/INEC) berbeda dengan harapan masyarakat berdasarkan hasil yang diumumkan di sejumlah tempat pemungutan suara. Penelitian ini menyimpulkan bahwa pemilihan presiden Nigeria tahun 2023 menunjukkan bahwa penyelenggaraan pemilu dapat berlangsung bebas, adil, lancar, dan tanpa kekerasan, tetapi lembaga penyelenggara pemilu tetap dapat mengeluarkan hasil yang bertentangan dengan catatan pemungutan suara apabila pihak-pihak yang berwenang tidak memiliki kejujuran dan integritas.

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Recommended Citation

AKPODOVHAN, Omamurhieme Julia and Anyanwu, Chukwuma Dr (2026) "VOTERS’ PERCEPTION OF NIGERIA’S ELECTORAL PROCESS: AN X-RAY OF THE 2023 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION," International Review of Humanities Studies: Vol. 11: No. 2, Article 5.
DOI: 10.7454/irhs.v11i2.1483
Available at: https://scholarhub.ui.ac.id/irhs/vol11/iss2/5