Nigeria Elections and Invalid Votes: A Challenge for Adult Continuing Education

Convener: Dr. Tajudeen Adewumi Adebisi (Osun State University, Osogbo, Nigeria); e-mails: tajudeen.adebisi@uniosun.edu.ng, jonathanadebisi@yahoo.com

The importance of elections in democracy cannot be overemphasized. Nigeria transition to democratic governance in recent years, from 1999 till date can be described as a democratic experiment as a result of many years of military dictatorship. The challenges of evolving a democratic culture in Nigerian citizenry have been a very daunting experience. Despite the fact that transitional elections are held every 4 years as enshrined in the Nigerian constitution a lot of demographic alterations take place. More significantly are changes in the information and

communication technology associated with electioneering and voting processes. This paper therefore captures these changes and highlights the need for a re-orientation, re-information, and re-education of the citizenry for a healthy democratic culture which can herald credible elections in transitional politics in Nigeria. The paper further maintained that continuous education is imperative in providing adults, who constitute the prospective electorates, with requisite voters’ education in order to inculcate a positive democratic culture and the development of a stable democratic dispensation. The paper concludes by exfoliating on the relevance of continuous and strategic voters’ education which is categorically imperative of building a virile and stable democracy in the light of enormous changes Nigeria is undergoing.