NAN-H-34
Enlightenment
By Lydia Ngwakwe
Lagos, Sept. 13, 2017 (NAN) Some politicians on Wednesday called for more awareness campaign on the Sept. 30 Eti-Osa Constituency 1 bye-election in Lagos State to avoid low turnout of voters which characterised the July 22 council polls in the state.
They told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Lagos that political parties had begun sensitisation of voters to the election but needed support from the National Orientation Agency (NOA) and INEC.
NAN reports that the state House of Assembly seat became vacant following the death of Mr Kazeem Alimi of the APC, who died on July 18 following an illness.
The Lagos State Chairman of the Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP), Mr Akinola Obadia, said that there was the need to properly educate voters on their rights.
“INEC needs to do a lot of awareness campaign because people do not show interest in voting anymore; they feel that they have not enjoyed any dividend of democracy.
“INEC needs to work with NOA to let the people know that it is their right to vote.
“We, politicians, are doing our own campaign; the people need to know that their votes are the only power they have to put things right,’’ Obadia said.
Mr Shola Omolola, Secretary, Inter-Party Advisory Council, also urged stakeholders to adequately sensitise voters.
“For us to have voters on that day, there is the need for an intensive mobilisation from all stakeholders.
“We do not expect this election to record low turnout like council polls,’’ Omolola said
Chief Ola Apena, Deputy Chairman of the PDP in Lagos State, also said that adequate awareness campaign would prevent voter apathy.
A former governorship candidate of the KOWA Party, Chief Gboyega Adeniji, told NAN that voters needed to be enlightened on wise voting.
“It is unfortunate that some parties use `stomach infrastructure’ to woo voters in elections; this makes some people with integrity to distant themselves from polling booths.
“We need to educate the public to vote wisely,’’ Adeniji said. (NAN)
LED/FF/IGO
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(Edited by Fela Fashoro/Ijeoma Popoola)