Lucky Obukohwo Reporting
The Bridge Leadership Foundation in conjunction with the Connect Advocacy, has called on the Nigerian electorate to be actively involved in the process of choosing the next president, if the country must get it right this time rather than sitting on the sidelines.
The group made the call during a sensitization rally for the collections of the Permanent Voter’s Card (PVC) in Benin City.
Addressing newsmen at the rally, coordinator, Bridge Leadership Foundation, Comrade Joshua Ogar, said the only way Nigerians can have a say in the next government, is for them to come out to collect their PVCs and vote the candidate of their choice on the day of the election.
“You cannot vote when you don’t have a voter’s card. You cannot use any other means to make yourself qualify to vote.
” So, since this is the only means through which you can exercise this right, we are now calling on every Nigerian who has registered before now to go and get his or her PVCs, the records are staggering, the records are not smiling, the number of persons who are yet to get this voter’s card.
“So, in this last week of collection, we are encouraging everybody to go get their rights and exercise this rights on election day.
“We are also using this medium to encourage people to shun voter apathy and vote buying.
“Some persons on election day, they stay back at home to do their own activities, some persons watch TV, young ones go out to play football.
“Election period is not a time for holiday . It is a time where everybody needs to come out and decide the next phase of the government, the next phase of the nation, the next phase of the state where they come from.
“So, they have to be part of this decision because when they are not part of the decision making for the next government, then, they will lack voices in the government but if they elect the right leaders now, they will have a say in the government”, Ogar said.
Speaking further on the reason for the sensitization rally, the coordinator, Connect Advocacy, Prince Israel Orekha, said it is believed that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) does not have enough manpower to go about sensitizing the public on where they could go and get their PVCs and based on that, they decided to complement them.
‘PVC collection, there is still more to be done. That is why we are out today. Some citizens don’t know exact place and spot to go pick their PVCs especially when they are moving from ward to ward and because of the shortage of manpower of the INEC”, Orekha said.