More Nigerians now believe in voting, not fighting — NGO

Thu, Feb 21, 2019 | By publisher


Politics

Mr Wale Ogunade, President of Voters Awareness Initiative (VAI), a non-governmental organisation, on Thursday said that many Nigerians had become conscious of the need to cast their votes rather than fight during elections.

Ogunade told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that more Nigerians were gradually becoming informed and more educated on the principle of voting and not fighting.

NAN reports that VAI is an international observer in the 2019 general elctions.

The human rights lawyer said that his organisation had between
September and November last year contributed to raising Nigerians’ awareness on how to participate and conduct themselves during elections.

“We were able to sensitise about 12 million Nigerians on the need for them to get their PVCs, to make sure they voted right using their index fingers and to happily participate in the elections.

“We were able to sensitise them on the need for them to be of good conduct before, during and after the elections.

“And this was part of the reason why there was so much calm last Saturday the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) postponed the elections.

“Nigerians are now more informed and more educated about the principle of voting and not fighting themselves,’’ he said.

The president added that the collection of PVCs by about 84 million Nigerians was another indication that more Nigerians were willing to elect their representatives.

Ogunade said that the NGO, which had been existing for twenty years, last year embarked on voters’ sensitisation in Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Edo, Ondo, Kaduna, Enugu and Benue states, and Abuja.

“We have added value to the process to ensure that Nigerians are now more interested in the electoral process, and that more people now believe in the process and that people want to participate in it.

“We have about 84 million Nigerians that collected their PVCs for this year’s elections. This goes to show that there is currently a high of awareness among Nigerians on the need to exercise their voting rights. (NAN)

 

Tags: