A research claims that 78% of Nigerians do not trust INEC.

According to a joint study by NOI Polls, Afrobarometer, and CDD Ghana, only 23% of Nigerians believe they have “somewhat” or “a lot” of faith in the Independent National Electoral Commission, while 78% say they have “just a little” or no trust at all.

Dispatch No. 598 of Afrobarometer’s study, “Nigerians Want Competitive Elections, But Don’t Trust The Electoral Commission,” also found that confidence in INEC had decreased by 13% since 2017.

The NOIPolls-led Afrobarometer team in Nigeria reported that it spoke with 1,600 adult Nigerians between March 5 and March 31, 2022, in a “nationally representative, random, stratified probability sample.”

A sample of this size “yields country-level data with a margin of error of +/-2.5 percentage points at a 95 percent confidence level,” the research network claims.

The organization has already carried out regular surveys in Nigeria in the years 2000, 2003, 2005, 2008, 2013, 2015, 2017, and 2020.

Mahmood Yakubu, the INEC chairman, has repeatedly assured Nigerians that their votes will be counted in the elections of 2023, assuring them that the rigging season is ended.

According to a portion of the research, “Citizens’ low faith in the Independent National Electoral Commission is one red signal for Nigeria’s approaching elections, in addition to concerns over election quality.”

The report, which was co-authored by the head of social research at NOIPolls and the coordinator for Anglophone West and North Africa at Afrobarometer, also revealed that trust in INEC had “declined by 12 percentage points since 2017” and had been “quite weak for the past 20 years.”

“A key issue is public faith in the INEC, and mistrust is a significant worry, particularly in the southern states. The approaching election provides the electoral administration body with a chance to win back voters’ trust by demonstrating its independence, credibility, and competence, according to the report.