Popular Nigerian rapper, entertainer and activist, Folarin ‘Falz’ Falana, has urged Nigerians, particularly young people, to reject voter apathy, stressing that every vote counts, while arguing that politicians would not engage in vote-buying if votes did not truly matter.
“What I would say is that is exactly what they want you to think. That is exactly what they’re counting on you thinking. If it didn’t matter, they wouldn’t be running helter-skelter to do everything within their power to try and influence those results. If our votes didn’t matter, these people wouldn’t be making all this noise. If our votes didn’t matter, there wouldn’t be people paying for them. There wouldn’t be vote-buying if it didn’t matter,” he insisted.
He argued that the widespread belief that elections are predetermined only serves the interests of politicians, who benefit when citizens become discouraged and stay away from the polls. According to him, an overwhelming turnout by voters would make it far more difficult to manipulate election outcomes.
“So that is exactly what we need: we need an overwhelming majority letting our intentions known at the ballot. If there’s still somebody saying today, in 2026, ‘Oh, my vote doesn’t count and that is why I’m not going to go out to vote,’ I think that is just an excuse, and a weak one at that,” he said.
Falz also urged eligible Nigerians yet to register as voters to take advantage of the online registration process, saying technology has removed many of the barriers that previously discouraged participation. He noted that the process is simple, straightforward and can be completed from the comfort of one’s home through the INEC portal, provided there is internet access.
“There is no excuse, like you rightly said. You can easily just go up to the INEC portal on your phone or on your laptop in the comfort of your house, as long as you have an internet connection. Go onto the website, put in these details. It’s very straightforward, it’s very easy, and should be very convenient for anyone that really is interested in doing it.”
Speaking on electoral reforms, the activist called for the live electronic transmission of election results, arguing that it would strengthen transparency and public confidence in the electoral process. He questioned why real-time transmission had not been fully implemented despite the significant resources allocated to elections, saying there was no justification for failing to address challenges such as internet connectivity if the goal was to deliver free, fair and credible polls.
“To be honest with you, I think what would have been great to see was the live electronic transmission of results. There was legislation on that, and I remember when that was ongoing, there was a lot of debate about that back and forth. What was eventually allowed in there was a law that still has a caveat, save for instances where there are network issues.
“But I think if we really are serious about delivering free and fair elections, I see no reason why that didn’t go through, for example. I see no reason why we can’t transmit results in real time as they’re happening.
“With the budget INEC is using to run these elections, it’s in trillions. It’s in trillions! I remember the 2023 elections, when they happened, there was a lot of uproar—over 300 billion being used for the elections. Now it’s in trillions. I don’t know what that money is going into if we can’t make sure that every single thing is on point. If we can’t make sure that something as little as internet connectivity is solved, that would be my own two cents,” he said.
Clarifying that he has never publicly endorsed any politician or political party, the rapper said his focus has always been on encouraging Nigerians to vote and strengthen democracy.
“Just a point of correction: I’ve never, in 2023 or at any point, openly supported any politician or political party. I’ve only actively encouraged people to go out to vote and get their intentions known. What I clamor for is a free and fair democratic process, that people let their intentions be known, and that people go out to vote. These, I think, are very important to strengthen our democracy in this country.
“I’ve never actually stuck out my neck for any politician for obvious reasons. We’ve been going in cycles, and it just seems like almost the same crop of people we keep on reshuffling. At the end of the day, it’s tough to even sit anywhere and vouch for a Nigerian politician in 2026. So for me, it’s a move of caution. If I see someone that I feel 100% is the one, maybe I would. But as it stands, I’m just trying to be cautious. I’m trying not to outrightly stick out my neck for anyone,” he maintained.
He added that the key lesson from the 2023 elections is the need for greater voter turnout to make election manipulation more difficult.
“In terms of lessons learned from the last elections, what I would just say is a lot more people need to come out. A lot more people need to come out, and like I said earlier on, if there is an overwhelming majority, it would be incredibly difficult for them to cheat that.”
On his activism through music, Falz said “protest music” remain a powerful tool for inspiring change, arguing that music has the ability to evoke emotion, motivate people and encourage greater civic engagement. He said that is the purpose behind his socially conscious music.
“I think music—before, now, and in the future—will always have the power to effect change at any level and speak to anyone. Music is a phenomenon that evokes emotion, and regardless of who you are or where you stand, music will always have the power to evoke an emotion in you.
“Protest music, as you’ve termed it, is the sort of music that galvanizes people. It puts a ‘ginger’ in them, if you like, and motivates people. Now, does that directly translate to effecting change? I think so. I think the more people are encouraged by this sort of music, the more people feel the need to do more. That is precisely what I’m trying to do,” he explained.
Explaining why he continues to address governance and social issues in his music, Falz said he draws inspiration from Nigeria’s realities and believes someone must speak about the country’s challenges. He added that he will continue using his music to confront corruption, inequality and poor governance until meaningful change is achieved.
“Someone has to do the heavy lifting, eh? I feel this work has to be done. I feel these issues need to be spoken about. I’m the sort of artist that draws inspiration from my immediate environment. I keep returning to these themes because we, as a people, have not been able to remove ourselves from these themes. I keep returning to these themes because somebody needs to talk about these things. If everyone else keeps running away from it, I will continue to run towards it because we need to face these issues squarely. We can’t just continue sweeping the dirt under the carpet. At some point, we will implode. We have to talk about it, and we have to talk about it now, continuously. That is why I will always speak about these issues—now, tomorrow, the day after,” he vowed.
Responding to whether activism has overshadowed his music, Falz said he welcomes being seen as a positive influence, stressing that he wants to use his platform to shape public thinking, adding that while he remains committed to entertaining audiences through music and film, activism is a purpose he proudly embraces.
“As an artist, as a musician, as a celebrity, as a public figure, what are you? You are someone celebrated. But what is purpose if there isn’t something that I’m streamlining that towards? I’ve decided that my being celebrated, I want to streamline it towards being a thought shaper, being an icon, being someone that positively influences. This is what I’ve always dreamed to do. I want to positively influence my immediate environment.
“So if this is what I am looked at as, then I think that’s great, actually. I think that’s wonderful. Am I still the guy that will still give you club bangers? Am I still the guy that would still feature in movies? Am I still the guy that would still entertain you? Of course I am. But that aspect of me that you’re speaking about, this activism, if this is what you see first, that’s beautiful. That’s perfectly okay,” he said.
Appealing to young Nigerians, Falz urged eligible voters to register before the deadline, insisting that every vote counts.
“I’ll go back to what I said earlier on: if your vote didn’t count, they wouldn’t be running helter-skelter to try to influence it. If your vote didn’t count, they wouldn’t pay ₦10,000, ₦15,000, or ₦20,000 for that vote. If your vote didn’t count, there wouldn’t be vote-buying, there wouldn’t be voter intimidation, there wouldn’t be all the violent acts—all the things that they try to do to get you not to vote. Your vote does count. Every single one of our votes actually counts. For that reason, we need an overwhelming majority. That, I think, is the most viable way to avoid any sort of cheating in these elections.”
Falz also said he remains optimistic about Nigeria’s future despite the country’s challenges. He pledged to continue encouraging Nigerians to play their part in building a better nation, insisting he would not give up on the hope of meaningful change.
“I still have hope; I’m still optimistic. I will always be an optimistic human; I refuse to embrace pessimism. I refuse to be let down, I refuse to look down, and if what you said happens, I will still look up. I will still look ahead. I will still continue to believe that we can get to that place that we hope that we get to, and I will still continue to encourage people around me to do everything within their power to ensure that we get there,” he pledged.
Assessing the current administration, Falz said it has not earned the right to ask Nigerians for more patience, arguing that citizens continue to grapple with inflation, insecurity and economic hardship.
He also contended that the government has fallen short of its own promises and should be judged by its performance.
“I think the current administration has not done enough for Nigerians to be patient with it.. I think not. They might say all those things, but we can’t actually see it. We can’t feel it—nobody can feel it. If you ask the average person out there on the streets what they’re feeling, they’re feeling the inflation, they’re feeling the rising cost of living, they’re feeling the difficulties, they’re feeling poverty. People are suffering. It’s insecurity that we’re feeling. We’re not safe; we can’t go outside. That’s what we’re feeling.
“I think even by their own standards, they’ve failed. The president himself, prior to coming into office, said in his own words that if he didn’t ensure that we had 24-hour power, that we shouldn’t vote him in for a second term. So even by the standard that he set for himself, he has failed. So I think they have not earned the right to come back into office,” he insisted.
Favour Odima
Follow us on: