WARRI/Nigeria: The federal Government, the electoral authourity and political parties have been called to ensure citizen participation in the processes leading to the 2019 election.
Making the call, a group, Action 2019, a political monitoring group, in a press statement, signed by Comdr Franklin Oseya Esq, Pastor Edewor Egedegbe, and Comdr. Fredrick Mosheshe, on Saturday, June 2018, in Effurun, Uvwie Local Government Area.
According to the group, the country for many years has been kept in her kneels, on what they called political shenanigans, and lack of citizen participation, which is key in demanding and determining the right kind of electoral process and therefore the right leadership at all levels of government.
“To avoid, and put an end to political shenanigans which has kept this nation on its knees right from the very beginning, citizen participation is key in demanding and determining the right kind of electoral process and therefore the right leadership at all levels of government.”
To achieve the idea of citizens participation, the group said it’s a clarion call on citizens to ensure their full participation for the processes leading to the 2019 election, beyond party politics, by ensuring they get their Permanent Voters Cards, PVC.
“Our clarion call is on our fellow citizens to get their PVC as registered voters. The electorate must now look beyond the straight jacket of political parties in the choice of candidates aspiring to lead them at all levels. The people must themselves fetch for credible candidates to present to political parties, not political parties choosing candidates for them.”
The statement tasked the people to avoid what they called “what’s in for me now, but rather invest in trusted hands who can chart a better future for all.
The group while noting the success of the use of technology in the Anambra election, noted that in preparing for the 2019 election, some areas of unpreparedness has been noticed in the part of the citizens and the electoral authorities, as they denounced the early start of political campaign by political parties and aspirants as against the November 18, 2018 date published by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.
“It’s curious to note that, six months to the commencement of campaigns, political parties and their candidates have started campaigning already with posters, bill boards and all kinds of souvenirs going on bracingly.”
It called on citizens to ensure they register and collect their PVC, avoid vote selling, at same time faulting INEC in voting selling, called on the government to improve on the security architecture of the country, especially in the North east and North central, underage voting as most of the areas that may hinder the successful execution of the 2019 elections.
