The Nigerian general election comes up in the next five months. Voter registration is over, and citizens must pick up their permanent voter’s cards and exercise their franchises. Over time, data has shown that only a handful of registered voters come out to vote. In the 2019 presidential elections, only 37 percent of registered voters showed up on election day.
We realize that there’s a lackluster attitude of citizens to casting their votes on d-day. Some have attributed this to election day violence, a lack of belief in the power of their vote making a difference, and others believe vote buying is such a big deal. While some say the level of corruption in the system is neck deep and their singular votes can’t make any difference.
While there’s some iota of truth in their worries, it is paramount to understand that change starts from an individual. And ultimately, votes are what put people in power. The longer citizens shy away from exercising their constitutional rights, the longer mediocre leaders get to the corridors of power barely opposed.
Understanding this, ActionAid Nigeria, in partnership with South Saharan Social Development Organization, organized a civic awareness and sensitization rally on PVC collection. The message for the rally was simple: “Your votes decide the future. Your PVC is your voice. Your vote is your power; use it wisely.”
PVCs registered from June 2021 to January 15, 2022, are ready for collection. PVCs registered from January 16th to June 30th, 2022, will be ready for collection in October. The PVCs registered from July 2022 will be ready for collection in November.