Oyo State Governor, ’Seyi Makinde, has expressed optimism that a new leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) will take steps to convince Nigerians that the party is committed to serving their interests.

Makinde made the statement on Wednesday while speaking at a retreat organised for newly elected national officers of the PDP in Abuja.

The governor, who chaired one of the sessions at the retreat, said the party’s elected representatives must demonstrate through their performance that the PDP is capable of delivering good governance at all levels.

According to him, the performance of politicians in elective offices is closely linked to the growing level of voter apathy in the country.

Makinde, in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Taiwo Adisa, said the PDP must make deliberate efforts to bring more young people and women into the electoral process ahead of the 2023 general elections.

He noted that voter participation remained a major concern, pointing to the relatively low turnout recorded during the 2015 and 2019 presidential elections.

Makinde said fewer than 30 million voters participated in each of the two presidential elections, despite the number of registered voters being close to 85 million.

He argued that political parties could not effectively mobilise young people and women without first addressing the reasons many citizens had become disengaged from elections.

“I would like you to bear in mind, each time the speakers mention youth, that Nigeria has a population of about 78 million persons who fall between the ages of 16 and 40 and when they say women, we should be thinking in terms of about 100 million persons,” he said.

The governor said the figures showed that Nigeria had a significant population that could influence the electoral process if properly mobilised.

He identified two major challenges: eligible citizens who do not register to vote and registered voters who eventually stay away from elections.

“So, looking towards 2023, one of the key issues that we need to address is voter apathy,” Makinde said.
He maintained that political leaders must examine their own conduct if they want to reverse the trend.

According to him, the failure of politicians to meet the expectations of citizens has contributed significantly to the growing disinterest in the electoral process.

“If we are being honest, we will agree that the failure of the political class to make itself relevant to the voting population is chiefly responsible for voter apathy,” he said.

Makinde noted that many Nigerians, particularly young people, were struggling with economic challenges and increasingly viewed migration as their best opportunity for a more stable future.

He questioned why citizens would be motivated to participate in elections when they did not see a direct connection between political leadership and improvements in their lives.

“If politicians at all levels make an impact in people’s lives, then they will be more interested in who occupies these positions and who wins the elections,” he said.

The governor therefore challenged PDP members holding elective positions to justify the confidence placed in them by voters.

“So, the solution really begins with us — those of us in this room who are occupying elective positions. What are we doing with the trust we have been given?” he asked.

Makinde expressed confidence that the emergence of a new leadership in the PDP could provide an opportunity for the party to reposition itself and reconnect with Nigerians.

“I am hopeful that with this new dispensation, new party leadership, we will begin to take actions that will show Nigerians that the PDP is different,” he said.

He also urged Nigerians to participate actively in elections, arguing that stronger voter participation would make it more difficult for the electoral process to be manipulated.

“We need the people to come out and vote, because, as has been shown, elections are harder to rig when the people are interested and invested in the process,” Makinde said.

The Oyo governor further cited voter registration figures released by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in September 2021.

He said INEC had recorded more than three million new voter registrations, bringing the projected number of registered voters ahead of the 2023 elections to about 90 million.

Makinde said the figures showed that political parties still had substantial work to do in mobilising eligible voters, particularly women and young people.

“I hope we see this as a wake-up call and begin now to do our part to end voter apathy,” he concluded.