KWALE/Nigeria: The Ndokwa Committee for Growth and Development (NC4GD) has launched an intensive advocacy campaign aimed at mobilizing sons and daughters of Ndokwa nation ahead of the August 2025 Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise recently announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
In a statement issued Saturday by Ossai Udom on behalf of the committee, NC4GD stressed the urgent need to improve Ndokwa’s voter registration figures, warning that without credible, data-backed population numbers, the region risks continued marginalization in political appointments, federal presence, and infrastructural development.
“We must seize the opportunity presented by the upcoming CVR. This is not just about voting, it is about political relevance, national development, and being counted,” Udom declared. “The modest increase we recorded during the last exercise gave us significant leverage. This time, we must do more.”
INEC has scheduled online pre-registration for August 18, 2025, while physical registration will begin across the country—including in the three Ndokwa LGAs of Ndokwa East, Ndokwa West, and Ukwuani—on August 25.
Udom commended Hon. Charles Emetulu, the member representing Ndokwa West Constituency in the Delta State House of Assembly, for drawing the committee’s attention to Ndokwa’s previously low registration figures.
“He was the one who sent us comparative data showing just how far behind Ndokwa lagged compared to other ethnic nationalities in Delta. That data was a wake-up call,” Udom said.
NC4GD announced that its Subcommittee on Voter Registration Mobilization, headed by Chuks Ododo, has been reactivated for the 2025 CVR. The committee also praised the selfless efforts of key stakeholders who supported the last exercise, including Prof. Julie Nwabogo Umukoro, Achi Okechukwu, Micah Onwumah, Peter Enyabegu, Chelly Okusogu, and Comrade Anojake. The group further appreciated respected elders like Sir Dele Omenogor and Chief Chuks Onyemulu, Hon Alphonsos Ojo, President of the Ukwuani Foundation Union (UFU), for their continued commitment.
Commending proactive steps already taken in Ukwuani, Udom hailed Hon. Barr. Possible Ajede, Chairman of Ukwuani Local Government Area, for setting up a standing committee on the CVR since 2024. While also commending the Chairmen of Ndokwa West and Ndokwa East LGAs, for their previous supports, urged them to replicate the effort immediately to avoid leaving their communities behind.
According to the statement, the committee has already initiated contact with INEC’s Resident Electoral Commissioner in Asaba and the Electoral Officers in the three Ndokwa LGAs. Udom also stated that Mrs. Cynthia Governor, NNU Women Leader; Comrade Ifeanyi Chidikwa, NNU Organising Secretary; and Comrade Uduogwu James Ojeke, President of the NNU Youth Wing is expected to be fully involved in the mobilisation of the eligible voters.
NC4GD confirmed that grassroots mobilization will intensify in the coming weeks across Ukwuani and Ndoshimili lands, as well as among Ndokwa indigenes residing in other parts of the country, including Lagos, Edo, Rivers, and beyond.
“We urge all sons and daughters of Ndokwa nation, whether at home or in the diaspora, to actively participate. This CVR exercise is more than a political event, it is a defining moment for our collective future,” the committee declared.
The group emphasized that beyond elections, voter registration figures are often used in estimating population size during census exercises and in determining access to federal resources.
“We can no longer continue to proclaim that Ndokwa is the second-largest ethnic group in Delta State without evidence. We must back our words with data—and that starts with the CVR,” Udom said.
