ABSTRACT

This study examines the impact of political apathy on democratic consolidation in Nigeria between 2015 and 2023. Despite institutional reforms such as the Electoral Act of 2022 and the deployment of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), voter turnout declined steadily from 43.65% in 2015 to a historic low of 27.4% in 2023 reflecting deepening public disillusionment with the political system. Using a qualitative research design and secondary data from academic sources, INEC reports, election observation records (including YIAGA Africa and EU EOM), and policy documents, the study analyses how citizen disengagement has weakened Nigeria’s democratic foundations. The findings show that political apathy is not passive indifference but a rational response to elite capture, electoral malpractice, unfulfilled promises, and systemic unaccountability. This withdrawal has eroded governmental legitimacy, distorted representation particularly for youth, women, and marginalized regions and undermined mechanisms of vertical accountability. Anchored on Pluralist Democracy Theory, the study concludes that democratic consolidation remains elusive not because citizens refuse to participate, but because the system fails to make participation meaningful. The study recommended that reversing apathy, therefore, requires more than voter education; it demands credible institutions, inclusive governance, and a renewed social contract that restores faith in democracy as a vehicle for dignity and justice.