Voter Apathy in Nigeria Clouds President Buhari's New Tenure
- Just 8% of Nigerians voted for president in February election
- Poor don’t feel impact of democracy, analyst Hassan says
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As Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari began his second term on Wednesday, he did so with the blessing of just 8% of the nation’s 201 million people.
While Buhari won 56% of the ballots cast on Feb. 23, only 15.2 million of the 29 million registered voters backed him. The 35% turnout, down from 44% in the last elections four years ago and a peak of 69% in 2003, is the latest indicator of mounting voter apathy in Africa’s biggest democracy.