Ahead of the 2023 general elections, the Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG) has decried voter apathy in Northern Nigeria.
While speaking to reporters in Kano, Abdul-Azeez Suleiman, the group's spokesman, observed that observations had revealed that voter registration in the Northern part of the country was low in comparison to other parts.
According to CNG, the poor turnout of eligible voters could be linked to northerners' dissatisfaction with President Muhammadu Buhari's administration.
With the "monetisation" of the process, the group believes that the outcome of party primaries, particularly in the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the main opposition, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has made a larger percentage of northerners care less about who will win the 2023 election.
It urged northerners not to be dismayed by the country's election results, but rather to obtain their "Permanent Voters' Cards as the only sure way of assuring leadership that addresses our constraints."
CNG also urged northern residents to vote for politicians that have demonstrated a high level of credibility, competence, and capacity, as well as a history of explicitly identifying with their concerns about security, the economy, and education.
The group urged a comprehensive examination of whether parties' election spending in recent primary elections followed the Electoral Act's established standards.