2019: NGO urges Nigerians to participate in political process

PVCs
By Diana Orouvie-Omueza
Abuja, March 22, 2018 (NAN) Progressive Impact Organisation for Community Development (PRIMORG), a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), has urged Nigerians to take active part in politics ahead of 2019 elections.
PRIMORG Chairman, Mr Augustine Agbonsuremi, made the call in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Abuja.
Agbonsuremi also urged eligible Nigerians to participate in ongoing Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) to enable them obtain the Permanent Voter Card (PVC) to be able to vote during elections.
He decried low participation of the people in the political process, saying “we cannot have 25 million to 28 million people deciding the fate of about 193 million people’’.
According to him, about 75 per cent of eligible Nigerians are currently onlookers in the political process because they are not registered to vote and those registered stay away from polling centres on election days.
“In spite of having a population estimate of 193 million, only 15.4 million Nigerians voted in the election that brought in Muhammadu Buhari as President.
“The total number of valid votes in that election was 28.5 million, which means that less than 30 million Nigerians took part in the process; this is embarrassing to us.
“What we have found out in our research is that the ordinary people are always not carried along.
“So, the focus in the organisation is that we are ready to go all out beyond the elite to the grassroots to mobilise people to take active part in the political process,’’ Agbonsuremi said.
He said that the country required comprehensive campaign to sensitise the people to take active part in the political process.
“There is also the need to state the obligations of the state and the citizens in a democracy,’’ he said, adding that there was need to raise and sustain support for democracy.
Agbonsuremi said his organisation would go out to meet with tailors, mechanics, students and youths to enlighten them on the electoral process.
“It is going to be a cross section, it is going to be a massive movement to get Nigerians to realise that they needed to take the nation as a project, and they need to participate in the process.
“Nigerians need to also be part of the decision-making process and not to be left out; PRIMORG is working to achieve this,’’ he said.
The chairman said that the organisation was also making contact with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to ensure the success of ongoing CVR in the country.
“We want INEC to reduce the number of hours spent on queue to get the PVCs and make it clear to everyone on queue that he or she will be attended to no matter how difficult the circumstances are.’’
He said the campaign for the electorate to go and get their PVCs would be in vain if they got to the registration centres and did not find INEC officials to attend to them. (NAN)
DOM/ABI.OPI
Edited by Ali Inuwa and Olisa Ifeajika