Why Staying Home in 2027 Is the Real Mistake
By: Akeem olaniyi ADEBOMOJO
Nigerians have a habit of running from the fight and then complaining about the outcome.
Right now, as Tinubu’s government struggles with inflation, insecurity, and a cost-of-living crisis, you’ll hear a lot of people say: “I never voted for him.” Funny enough, those same people often don’t have a voter’s card. They didn’t register. They didn’t vote at all.
Here’s the hard truth: *the people who refuse to register and vote are doing more damage/harm to Nigeria than the people who voted for the wrong candidate.*
Let me explain why.
1. A bad vote can be corrected. No vote can not.
When you vote for the wrong person, you learn. You feel the pain of bad policy at the market, at the filling station, in your business, and the exorbitant taxation. That pain pushes you to make a different choice and informed decision next time. That’s how democracy works. It’s trial and error, with the people as the judges.
But when you don’t vote at all, you don’t get a say in the trial. You hand over your future to the people who did show up. And if those people are driven by money, ethnicity, or apathy, you end up with leaders who don’t represent you.
That’s not neutrality. That’s surrender.
2. “My vote won’t count” is how bad leaders stay in power
The biggest lie APC and every underperforming government wants you to believe is that your vote doesn’t matter and won’t count. If you believe it, you stay home. If you stay home, their rigging, vote-buying, and low turnout strategy works perfectly.
Look at the numbers. In 2023, only 26.7% of registered voters actually voted. That means 73% stayed home. Out of that small group, APC got the highest share, as claimed, though. So, a government ruling 220 million people was decided by less than 9 million votes.
If just half of the people who say “Nigeria will never change” had shown up and voted, the result would have been different. The math is simple. The courage is what’s missing.
3. Not registering is worse than voting APC
Let’s be blunt. Someone who voted APC in 2023 at least participated. They made a choice, even if it was a bad one.
But someone who refused to register because “all politicians are the same” chose to give up their power completely. They chose to let market women, civil servants, and party loyalists decide the president for 220 million people.
That’s not a protest. That’s abdication. And it’s the reason bad leaders keep coming back.
4. 2027 is your chance to prove a point
The 2027 election is not about saving APC. It’s not even about saving Peter Obi, Kwankwaso, Atiku, or whoever else runs. It’s about proving that Nigerian power belongs to Nigerians, not to godfathers and INEC excuses.
If Nigerians register in their millions and vote massively against APC and Tinubu, we send a message: *the power of a leader ends where the people say NO.*
No amount of propaganda, vote-buying, or judicial gymnastics can survive a landslide of angry, organized voters. We’ve seen it in Kenya, in Senegal, in Ghana. It can happen here, too.
5. Register, Mobilize, Vote
So what do we do?
*First, get your PVC.* If you don’t have it, register. If you have it, check that it’s valid Don’t wait until two weeks before the election. Encourage others to register and vote.
*Second, stop arguing online and start organizing offline.* Talk to your family, your church, your mosque, your shrine, and your market association. One person can convince ten people. Ten people can change a polling unit. All politics are local.
*Third, vote and stay to protect your vote.* The days of voting and going home are over. Sit down, watch the counting, take pictures, and report irregularities.
And yes, vote against APC and Tinubu knowing fully well they’ve failed the country for 12 years. That’s your right. But the most important thing is that you vote.
*Conclusion:* Don’t give them that power
A bad vote is a mistake you can fix in four years.
No vote is a mistake that fixes you into poverty, insecurity, exorbitant taxation, and hopelessness.
The hazard of staying home is greater than the hazard of voting for APC. Because when you stay home, you guarantee that nothing changes.
2027 is coming. This time, let the story be that Nigerians showed up, said NO, and took their country back.
*Register. Vote. Protect your vote.*
Writes from Ekiti State.
