Former President Goodluck Jonathan has attributed Nigeria’s voter turnout issues to the presence of a significant number of “ghost voters” on the electoral register.
Speaking on Tuesday, February 25, at the YIAGA Africa reflection conference on democratic elections in West Africa in Abuja, Jonathan highlighted ongoing challenges in the region’s electoral processes, despite advancements in technology.
Jonathan acknowledged West Africa’s progress in democratic governance but noted that logistical issues, technical problems, and allegations of irregularities continue to persist. He pointed to Nigeria’s 2023 general elections, where the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal were introduced, as well as Sierra Leone’s use of technology in elections. However, he contrasted these with Ghana’s elections, which he described as successful despite limited technological use.
“The electoral commission of Ghana and security authorities played a crucial role in ensuring free and fair elections, showing that Ghana’s democratic processes have remained resilient even with minimal technology,” he said. “Liberia and Senegal also conducted peaceful, transparent elections with high voter turnout, despite limited tech deployment. In some countries, technology has enhanced transparency and accountability. These innovations, where successful, should be celebrated and replicated across the region.”
Jonathan also highlighted the dangers of political intolerance, hate speech, and the manipulation of ethnic and religious divisions for electoral advantage.
He pointed out that Liberia, Senegal, and Ghana experienced high voter turnout and smooth transitions of power due to public enthusiasm for democracy. However, he noted that in countries with more advanced technology, electoral processes often lead to more legal challenges, political tensions, and disputes.
He emphasized the importance of the human element in strengthening democratic institutions and recalled Nigeria’s technological advancements, from the absence of a voter register to the introduction of the card reader. “We’ve moved from the card reader to the BVAS, which is more advanced, but the problems are still greater than when we used the card reader,” he said. “While we’re making progress with technology, the outcomes are regressing, and this is not what we expect.”
Jonathan stressed the need for credible individuals to lead electoral commissions for elections to be free and fair. “If we don’t have the right people in charge, we are in trouble,” he said. “If you accept a position at INEC, you must be ready to resist pressure to do wrong for the sake of democracy.”
He also raised concerns about the accuracy of Nigeria’s voter register, saying, “We have too many ghost voters. When both parties are strong and the system can’t be manipulated, only the real voters will get their say, and even then, the real voters may only represent 50 percent.”
